BASAN. - Region of northern Transjordan (north-east of Palestine). The Hebrew name Bāfān is generally used with the article; it was a land renowned for its fertility, so much so that its name became synonymous with it, and therefore the Septuagint and the Vulgate replace the proper name with the translation “fat”: Ps. 21, 13; 67, 16; Ez. 39, 18; Am. 4, 1.
It is bounded to the north by Hermón and the plain of Damascus, to the west by the mountains of G. Hejš and Lake Tiberias, to the south by the Jarmūk (el-Menādireh), Galaad (v.), and to the east by the Mountain of the Druze. It is a vast plain of volcanic nature, surrounded by mountains, celebrated by the prophets for its fertility, like Galaad and Saron (Is. 33, 9; Ier. 50, 19; Mi. 7, 14; V. Ps. 67, 16 s.; Nah. 1, 4), famous for its pastures populated by bulls (a symbol of ferocity and pride; Ps. 21, 13; Ez. 39, 18), once covered with admired oak forests (Is. 2, 13; Zach. 11, 2) and exporting their timber (Ez. 27, 6), now rich in cereals, especially in the plain of Hawrân. Its waters are collected by the Jarmûk.
The principal cities were Astaroth, Edrei, Salecha, and Gaulon; Argob (v.). Before the entry of the Hebrews into Palestine, B. was “the land of the Giants” (Deut. 3, 13), Rephd'Im (v. ASTAROTH), and constituted the greater part of the Amorite kingdom of Og, the last giant; Amorites (v.), the territory was assigned to half the tribe of Manasse (Deut. 3, 13).
In the Greco-Roman period, the region was divided into four provinces (“tetrarchies”): Gaulanitis toward Lake Genezaret; Trachonitis, in the opposite part; Auranitis, to the south-east with the mountains of Hawrân; Batanea (v.).