Coele-syria
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(hollow valley) (2 Esdras 2:17; 1 Macc 10:69) - an Asian region lying between mountain ranges and forming part of Syria. Coele-syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine were provinces of the larger Syria. The ancient district was called Bekaa in the source's day, with Damascus as its chief city at the foot of Anti-Lebanon on the Barada River.