Jabiyah
| Arabic: الجابية | |
 Shown within Syria
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| Alternate name | Tell Jabiyah |
|---|---|
| Location | Syria |
| Region | Daraa Governorate |
| Coordinates | 32°55′8″N 35°59′48″E / 32.91889°N 35.99667°ECoordinates: 32°55′8″N 35°59′48″E / 32.91889°N 35.99667°E |
| Type | Tell |
Jabiyah (Arabic: الجابية / ALA-LC: al-Jābiya) was a town of political and military significance in the 6th–8th centuries. It was located between the Hawran plain and the Golan Heights. It initially served as the capital of the Ghassanids, an Arab vassal kingdom of the Byzantine Empire. Following the Muslim conquest of Syria, it early on became the Muslims' main military camp in the region and, for a time, the capital of Jund Dimashq (Damascus district). Caliph Umar convened a meeting of senior Muslim figures at the city where the organization of Syria and military pay was decided. Later, in 684, Jabiyah was the site of a summit of Arab tribes that chose Marwan I to succeed Caliph Mu'awiya II. Jabiyah was often used by the Umayyad caliphs as a retreat. Its significance declined when Caliph Sulayman made Dabiq the Muslims' main military camp in Syria.
Jabiyah has a "curious etymology", according to historian Irfan Shahid. The name may be related to the Arabic word for "reservoir" or a Syriac word for "the Chosen".
Jabiyah was first mentioned in circa 520 CE in a Syriac letter of Bishop Simeon of Beth Arsham in which he states that he wrote his letter from the camp of the Ghassanid king Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith at Jabiyah, which he refers to as "Gbīthā". The Ghassanids were an Arab Christian vassal kingdom of the Byzantine Empire. The letter noted that there was a Ghassanid military camp nearby. According to Shahid, Simeon's letter reveals that Jabiyah was the place where foreign envoys and other dignitaries convened with the Ghassanid kings, indicating the town's importance. The town was again referenced in 569 in a Syriac letter noting the "monastery of St. Sergius" in Jabiyah. In 587, Jabiyah served as a meeting place for two Monophysite groups, one led by Peter of Callinicum and the other by Damian of Alexandria, that wanted to settle their religious disputes. The groups failed to reach an agreement, but the meeting of rival Monophysite factions in Jabiyah indicates its importance as a Monophysite center.
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