FAQ's
Why are most of the places not on the map?
The map includes only those places for which latitude and longitude data have been entered into the database. Places without those coordinates, which are therefore not displayed on the map, fall into two categories. Some places do not have latitude and longitude because their precise locations are unknown. For example, Ḥarqel is a place for which we have a vague prose description of its location “in Palestine,” but until new evidence is discovered which allows us to identify the location of this village, it cannot be placed on a map. Nevertheless, it was a place and has links to other entities within Syriaca.org, notably the author Tumo of Ḥarqel, and therefore it is included in The Syriac Gazetteer. Places relevant to Syriac Studies may thus be included in the database even if their precise locations are unknown. Other place records do not have latitude and longitude because, although their precise location is known by someone, the initial development of this reference work prioritized creating a structure with as many placeholder records as possible, rather than inserting more information about fewer records. For these places, users are very welcome to submit coordinates, which will cause them to appear on the map and improve the reference work for everyone.