Lesson plan
Efqa Spring
Efqa Spring ( ) is an ancient artesian spring in the Syrian Desert that was first developed between 4000 BCE and 2000 BCE. Once upon a time the spring fed a natural stream that drained eastward into a brackish wetland. The ancient city of Palmyra developed around the oasis created by the spring water. Efqa comes from the Aramaic word meaning source. The spring emerges on the west side of modern Tadmur, "opposite the modern building of the Cham Palace hotel, situated on the road to Damascus beyond the ruins of the ancient city." The spring flows out of the limestone inside al-Mintar Mountain via nine hand-dug wells that feed into a 400-meter-long cave, or underground irrigation channel, known as a qanat. A recent restoration project sought to undo some of the damage done by ISIS attacks in the area. The spring went dry in 1994, due to a combination of drought, over pumping, and neglect, but has been rehabilitated as the result of a joint Syrian–Russian restoration project and is flowing again as of 2019. Water from the spring is channeled into the of date palm and olive orchards surrounding the spring.
Article summary
Efqa Spring ( ) is an ancient artesian spring in the Syrian Desert that was first developed between 4000 BCE and 2000 BCE. Once upon a time the spring fed a natural stream that drained eastward into a brackish wetland. The ancient city of Palmyra developed around the oasis created by the spring water. Efqa comes from the Aramaic word meaning source. The spring emerges on the west side of modern Tadmur, "opposite the modern building of the Cham Palace hotel, situated on the road to Damascus beyond the ruins of the ancient city." The spring flows out of the limestone inside al-Mintar Mountain via nine hand-dug wells that feed into a 400-meter-long cave, or underground irrigation channel, known as a qanat. A recent restoration project sought to undo some of the damage done by ISIS attacks in the area. The spring went dry in 1994, due to a combination of drought, over pumping, and neglect, but has been rehabilitated as the result of a joint Syrian–Russian restoration project and is flowing again as of 2019. Water from the spring is channeled into the of date palm and olive orchards surrounding the spring.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.