The ‘Stonehenge’ in the Golan Heights may not be an astronomical observatory

An ancient and enigmatic stone circle in the Middle East may not be a prehistoric astronomical observatory after all. Archaeologists think the oldest parts of Rujm el-Hiri – which means ‘Heap of Stones of the Wildcat’ in Arabic – were built more than 6,000 years ago. The site is in the disputed Golan Heights region, which is claimed by both Israel and Syria. Some earlier investigations proposed that gaps in the stone circle aligned with astronomical events, such as the summer and winter solstice...