Jebel Aqra
mountain on the Syria–Turkey border
Jebel Aqra (Arabic: جبل الأقرع, romanized: Jabal al-ʾAqraʿ, [ˈd͡ʒæbæl al ˈʔaqraʕ]; Turkish: Kel Dağı) is a limestone mountain located on the Syrian–Turkish border near the mouth of the Orontes River on the Mediterranean Sea. Rising from a narrow coastal plain, Jebel Aqra is a mariners' landmark that gathers thunderstorms.
The mountain was a cult site in ancient Canaanite religion and continuing through classical antiquity. A mound of ash and debris remains; an archaeological investigation was broken off because of military restrictions imposed due to the mountain's border location.
Names
The ancient Semitic name of the mountain, Ṣapōn, is recorded in Akkadian as Ṣapūna (𒍝𒁍𒈾), Ugaritic as Ṣapunu (𐎕𐎔𐎐), Egyptian as ḏꜣpwnꜣ (𓍑𓄿𓊪𓏲𓈖𓄿𓌙𓈉, 𓍑𓄿𓊪𓏲𓈖𓄿𓌙𓈉), Aramaic as Ṣapōn (𐡑𐡐𐡍, 𐡑𐡐𐡅𐡍), Phoenician as Ṣapōn (𐤑𐤐𐤍), and Hebrew as Ṣāp̄ōn (צָפוֹן).
The Hurrians and the Hittites both called the mountain Ḫazzi (𒄯𒊕𒄩𒊍𒍣), which was a name also used for it in early Akkadian texts. The Hurro-Hittite name gave rise to the mountain's Ancient Greek name of Kasion (Κάσιον) and its Latin name Casius.
Zaphon, like Mizpah and Mizpeh, is derived from a noun meaning lookout point.
History
Jebel Aqra has a long history as a sacred mountain.
The Hurrians called it Mount Hazzi and considered it the home of their storm god Teshub.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Jebel Aqra” as mountain on the Syria–Turkey border. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as mountain on the Syria–Turkey border. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q383473.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jebel Aqra”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jebel Aqra primary sources, Jebel Aqra archive and Jebel research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jebel Aqra”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jebel Aqra” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.