Al-Lajat Promising Area for Investment in Ecotourism

Al-Lajat area in Sweida Province, thirty kilometers to the south of Damascus Al-Lajat area in Sweida Province, thirty kilometers to the south of Damascus, enjoys a huge biological diversity where various wild plant species grow, and it embraces ravishing natural scenes that are the most beautiful in the area which make it an important tourist destination.The importance of al-Lajat comes from the fact that the volcanic wastes are still intact or were slightly damaged in comparison with other areas, and despite the hardness of its land, the area is qualified for the investment of the natural formations such as the cliffs and the rocky corridors in the domain of ecotourism or adventure tourism.
The area provides entertainment for its visitors who can watch different types of trees which grow in the rock as well as the animals which defied the harsh nature to survive.
Al-Lajat is a rocky area which resulted from the volcanic projectiles of al-Arab Mountain, particularly from the 1140-meter height Tal Shihan Volcano which is situated to the eastern part of al-Lajat.The volcanoes and the lavas formed the basaltic ingot of al-Lajat as it is geologically called the 'Black Lava Field'.
Al-Lajat is located to the north western side of al-Arab Mountain as it expands over a wide area to the west of Damascus-Sweida Road, and it includes a lot of the big clefts and the caves extending to large distances as the rocky land, which was formed from volcanic projectiles after they get cool, cracked to become difficult paths that are only known by the locals.The rugged passageways and the natural grottos in al-Lajat were used as forts and shelters by revolutionists during the times of wars and revolutions.
Researcher, Jamal Abu Jahjah, says that al-Lajat is a mysterious land which needs a lot of the attention to solve it and to benefit from it in the progress of our country and to preserve the natural resources, in addition to developing the sustainable human and environmental activities through developing its natural conditions, reviving its archeological monuments, and highlighting the importance of the animals and plants in the economic life of the local citizens.Abu Jahjah indicated that al-Lajat appears as a biogeographical forum on the International Network of Biosphere Nature Reserves, and the peculiarity of the area comes from its richness in the basalt ingots and the volcanic lava which cover it.
The area includes volcanic cliffs, cracks and breaks which was formed in the 3rd Geological Age.The archeological excavations proved that the Greek and Roman civilizations inhabited the area, in addition to unearthing temples and houses from the Byzantine Age.
The area has been inhabited for thousands of the years and according to 2008 survey, more than 36,840 people are live in al-Lajat distributed among 24 villages as its citizens still depend on agriculture and breeding livestock, in addition to the folkloric handicrafts.
Al-Lajat is rich in the forests whose trees have adapted with the harsh nature as their roots penetrated into the rock such as the trees of fig, wild pear, wild almond and the Roman olive, in addition to several species of the grassy plants such as elm, wild barley and other types of trees. Several types of the pastoral and rare medical plants also grow in the area.
The area is also distinguished by the rich wildlife as it includes various types of the settled birds such as the goldfinch, the sparrow, the owl, the dove and others.
Sweida Forest Directorate in cooperation with the Royal British Commission on Environmental Pollution classified 42 species of birds inside al-Lajat Nature Reserve.
Various mammal animals live in the Reserve such as Jackals, gray squirrels, weasels, rabbits, hedgehogs and porcupines, in addition to the predatory animals such as foxes and wolves.
Several types of herbivores and rodents live in al-Lajat like voles, as well as the insects and the reptiles.