Harrat al-Sham Kite Chain
Harrat al-Sham Desert Kites · Syro-Jordanian Harraat Kites
Pre-Pottery Neolithic·PPN pastoralists·🇯🇴 Mafraq Governorate / Rif Dimashq (Syria), Harrat al-Sham, Jordan
About
About Harrat al-Sham Kite Chain
A cross-border chain of 58 kites stretching 24 km along the spine of Harrat al-Sham, the basalt shield connecting Jebel Druze to the Azraq harra. Mapped by APAAME 2012–2017 oblique aerial photos, the chain shows remarkably uniform star-shaped enclosures 25–40 m diameter with 200–500 m guiding arms aligned to prevailing northern gazelle migration. The border location preserved kites from modern agriculture; many walls retain 0.6 m height despite 9,000 years of exposure. The chain is the spine linking Syrian and Jordanian kite provinces, proving a single Neolithic hunting landscape.
Why it mattersOnly kite chain crossing modern international border, linking Syrian and Jordanian provinces.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Migration corridor fidelity over millennia
Theories
- 01Inter-harraat cooperative trap line
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.8000 – 5500 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic
- Culture
- PPN pastoralists
- Builders
- Harraat Neolithic hunter-pastoralists
- Purpose
- Inter-harraat gazelle migration interception
- Abandoned
- c.4500 BCE
- Rediscovered
- 2012 APAAME aerial survey; 2017 ground verification Jordanian side
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
8000 BCE
Initial spine kites constructed
2012
APAAME maps 58 kites along 24 km
On the ground
Structures & features
32.8800° N · 37.4800° E · 780 m · 2 mapped features
Star Enclosure S-19
geoglyph38-m star kite with 420-m arms
32.8800° N · 37.4850° EChain Midpoint Wall
earthworkMid-chain 500-m guiding wall segment
32.8750° N · 37.4750° E