Mount Qasioun

Mount Qasioun
جَبَل قَاسِيُون
Mount Qasioun in Damascus, seen from Abu Roumaneh, 2004
Highest point
Elevation	1,151 m (3,776 ft)
Coordinates	33°32′45″N 36°17′11″E / 33.54583°N 36.28639°E / 33.54583; 36.28639[1][better source needed]
Geography
Mount Qasioun Location in Syria
Location	Damascus, Syria

Mount Qasioun (Arabic: جَبَل قَاسِيُون, romanized: Jabal Qāsiyūn) is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus, Syria. It has a range of restaurants, from which the whole city can be viewed. As the city has expanded over the years, some districts have been established at the foot of the mountain. Its highest point is 1,151 metres (3,776 ft).^[2]

The mountain was heavily entrenched with Syrian government forces from the start of the Syrian Civil War, as it was a strategic site in the battle for the outskirts of Damascus.^[3][4]

The mountain is also host to an endemic species of iris, Iris damascena, which can be found on the steep eastern slopes, at an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.^[5] The Syrian government has not given the species any protected status but part of the habitat of the species lies within a military area near the Qassioun Republican Guards Military Base and other military facilities, which prevents civilians from accessing the area.^[6] The base and steepness of the habitat also prevent construction or development, but it is still classified as "critically endangered".^[7]