Hout, Suwayda

Hout is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Suwayda Governorate, located south of Suwayda. Nearby localities include Umm ar-Rumman to the south, Samad to the southwest, Bosra to the west, Nimrah and al-Qurayya to the north and Salkhad to the east. According to the Central [Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics], Hout had a population of 873 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Druze.

History

In 1596, Hout appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as Huta, and was part of the nahiya of Bani Malik as-Sadir in the Qada Hauran. It had an all Muslim population consisting of 5 households and 2 bachelors. The residents paid a fixed tax rate of 20% on wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and beehives, as well as on "occasional revenues" and for a press for olive oil or grape syrup; a total of 3,180 akçe.
A survey conducted by Edward Robinson and Eli Smith in 1838 described Hout as situated in the Nukrah, east of Busrah, and being in a state of ruin. The Nukrah refers to the southern part of the Hauran plain.