Land Use Patterns for the Jazira Region of Syria with Soil Attributes

A land use dataset created for a study comparing ancient and modern settlement patterns with environmental conditions in Syria's Jazira region. It was developed by the University of Edinburgh and last updated in July 2026. The dataset attributes land use types and soil variables to support analysis of subsistence activities like farming and grazing.

Use Cases

• Modeling historical settlement patterns based on land use type and soil attributes.
• Analyzing correlations between ancient trade routes and modern land use activities.
• Studying the sustainability of dry farming and grazing over millennia based on land use patterns.
• Integrating environmental data for subsistence activity modeling as mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Dataset is part of a larger, integrated study comparing settlement patterns over five millennia.
• Attributes include land use type, soil type, and soil code variables for modeling.
• Corresponds with a dedicated soil dataset for cross-referencing.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the source region and historical maps.

Provenance

Source

University of Edinburgh

Collection Method

Created to show land use patterns, complementing archaeological and environmental datasets from survey reports and historical maps.

Time Range

Covers patterns sustained over nine millennia to the present.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:32:24.261481; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Jazira region of Syria.