Abanah River in Fausset's Bible Dictionary

The chief river of Damascus, the modern Barada, called by the Greeks "the golden stream," flowing through the heart of the city and supplying it with water. The Pharpar mentioned with it in 2 Kings 5:12 is further from Damascus, and answers to the Awaj. The Barada rises in the Antilibanus mountain range, 23 miles from the city, and has the large spring Ain Fijah as a tributary. It passes the site of Abila and the Assyrian ruin Tell es Salahiyeh, and empties itself in the marsh Bahret el Kibliyeh or Bahr el Merj, "lake of the meadow." Porter calculates that 14 villages and 150,000 souls depend on it for their water supply. Hence, we see the significance of Naaman's boast, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?" These rivers render the environs of Damascus...