Al-Suqaylabiyah
Al-Suqaylabiyah () is a city in western Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located about from Hama and overlooks the Ghab Valley. According to the 2004 official census, the town had a population of 13,920. In 2009, the population was recorded at around 20,000. Its inhabitants are largely Greek Orthodox Christians.
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Key facts
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Geography
- History
- Ottoman period
- French Mandatory period
- Post-Syrian independence
- Syrian Civil War
- Economy
- Places of worship
- References
- Bibliography
Al-Suqaylabiyah () is a city in western Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located about from Hama and overlooks the Ghab Valley. According to the 2004 official census, the town had a population of 13,920. In 2009, the population was recorded at around 20,000. Its inhabitants are largely Greek Orthodox Christians.
The city derives its name from Seleucia ad Belum, an ancient Seleucid city that was located in its vicinity. Modern al-Suqaylabiyah was established in the mid to late 19th century, during the late Ottoman period, by Greek Orthodox Christians from the villages of the Syrian coastal mountains, including many emigrants originally from the Hauran. Travelers in the made note of its prosperity. During the French Mandatory period (1920s–1943), it was a large village that grew quality wheat and, rare for the Hama region, its lands were owned by its residents rather than the urban elites of Hama.