sentences:  Jisr ash-Shugur has long been an important stopping point on trade routes and is situated on the main route between Latakia, to the west and Aleppo to the east.Located in the rich alluvial plain of the Ghab valley on the eastern side of the An-Nusayriyah Mountains (also known as the "Jebel Ansariye"), the area has been continuously inhabited for over 10,000 years.The ancient city of Qarqar is thought to have been situated some south of the modern town, which was established in Hellenistic times as the city of Seleucia ad Belum.