Covers an area of 1800 square kilometers. During the Israelite conquest, it was part of the tribal allotment of Menasseh. Occupied by later invading powers, it was recaptured by the Hamoneans in the 1st century B.C. C. E. The Jewish population participated in the revolt against the Romans, paying a heavy price for doing so.

After the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 C. E. Many Jews continued to live on the Golan Heights until the end of the Byzantine period in 638 C.E. Ethnically cleansed of Jews during the early Arab period (638–1099 C.E.), it remained desolate and sparsely populated by Bedouins. After WW1, it was included in the French mandate for Syria.

The Syrians occupied the heights until their recapture in the 1967 six-day war. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the heights had to be defended against attempted Syrian incursions.
Today, the heights are home to 40 000 people, 50% of whom are Jews, the remainder being Druze, and a small Alawite community.