Bashan

Bashan was the northernmost of the three ancient divisions of the land east of the Jordan, roughly today's Golan Heights and Hauran in Syria. In biblical times it was proverbial for rich pastures, thick oak forests and strong cattle, and the 'bulls of Bashan' became a stock image in the Psalms and prophets.

The Bible says its king was Og, 'of the remnant of the giants', who ruled from Ashtaroth and Edrei until the Israelites defeated him and gave his land to the half-tribe of Manasseh. Deuteronomy 3 adds the detail of his iron bed, nine cubits long. A text from Ugarit names a divine king associated with the same two towns, which suggests the region was linked with the deified dead long before the biblical account.

Under Rome, Bashan became a major grain region, and Bostra became capital of the province of Arabia in 106 CE. Its giant king remains known only from the Bible and later tradition.