Es Safa

Es Safa (Arabic: الصفا, Eş Şafa), also known as Tloul Es Safa (Arabic: تلول الصفا, Tlūl Eş Şafa) Arabic for Es Safa hills, is a hilly region which lies in southern Syria, north-east of Jabal ad-Duruz volcanic plateau. It consists of a basaltic lava field of volcanic origin, covering an area of 220 square kilometres, and contains at least 38 cinder cones. This volcanic field lies within the northern part of the massive alkaline Harrat Ash Shamah volcanic field that extends from southern Syria, through eastern Jordan to Saudi Arabia. The region is extremely scarce in water. A boiling lava lake was observed in the Es Safa volcanic area in the middle of the 19th century (see Erta Ale in Ethiopia and Puʻu ʻŌʻō in Hawaii for reference). The...