Zayzun, Daraa
Zayzun is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, and located northwest of Daraa on the Syrian-Jordanian borders. The village is famous for its waterfalls and other natural sites. According to the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 1,933 in the 2004 census.
History
Antiquity
Zayzun is identified with Zeizin, a Jewish village located in the territory of Naveh in the region of Batanaea. It is mentioned in Roman-era sources, including rabbinic literature and the Mosaic of Rehob.Ottoman period
In 1596 Zayzun appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as part of the nahiya of Bani Juhma in the Qada of Hauran. It had an all Muslim population consisting of 13 households and 5 bachelors. A fixed tax−rate of 25% was paid on wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives, in addition to taxes occasional revenues ; a total of 5,900 akçe.In 1884 the American archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher visited the village. He noted that it occupied both sides of a small lake called Bahret Zeizun, which was formed by the Zeizun waterfall. The northern side of the village stood at a higher elevation and held more importance than its southern counterpart. Gardens of pomegranates, figs and other orchards laid to the north of the village and were irrigated by the Wadi al-Ajami stream.
Schumacher noted that the village had recently flourished but had declined sharply by the time of his visit due to a blood feud between its sheikh and the local Bedouin tribes, which forced the sheikh, his relatives and other residents to abandon Zayzun for the nearby Tell Shihab. There remained in Zayzun about 200 Muslim inhabitants, including several Africans. In all there were 55 largely dilapidated homes, all built of stone. The former sheikh's house had a courtyard and was well built but was falling into ruin.