Khirbet Ghazaleh
Khirbet Ghazaleh
خربة غزالة Khirbet Ghazalah | |
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Town | |
UTC+3 (EEST ) |
Khirbet Ghazaleh (
History
In 1596 it appeared in the
In 1805, Ulrich Jasper Seetzen found it to be "a bad, ruined village where 100 Muhammadan and 15 Greek Christian families lived". According to the Christian priest of the time, Chirhet el-Ghazale was formerly the seat of Syrian kings and was called "Soria", "even the apartment of the former ruler could still be seen".[4] By Burckhardt's time, the place had crumbled.[5]
In 1838, its inhabitants were again noted as being Muslim.[2][6]
In 1897, Gottlieb Schumacher noted that this "very large village consists of [] over 200 houses and 1000 to 1200 inhabitants. Three large water reservoirs with old
2011 Syrian uprising
Khirbet Ghazaleh's residents have participated in protests against the Syrian government and have hosted opposition
On 18 March 2012 opposition armed groups destroyed an overpass on the main highway with the stated purpose of blocking the arrival of army tanks to the area. The state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed the bombing of the bridge and estimated the costs of damage to be over $5 million.[8]
On 8 May 2013, the Syrian army captured the town after a ferocious two-month bombardment, regaining control of an international transit route, according to opposition sources.[9] Khirbet Ghazaleh acted as a vital logistical town for Syrian Government forces during the Daraa offensive (February–May 2014)
References
- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ a b Smith; in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Second appendix, B, p. 151
- ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 213
- ^ Seetzen, 1810, p.59
- ^ a b Schumacher, 1897, p. 170
- ^ Smith; in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Second appendix, B, p. 112
- ^ Oweis, Khaled Yacoub. Fighting in Syria kills 40 near Jordan border-activists. Reuters. 2012-04-05.
- The Associated Press. 2012-03-18.
- ^ "Assad's forces capture strategic town in southern Syria". Trust.org (Reuters). 8 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
Bibliography
- Schumacher; et al. (1897). "Der Südliche Basan". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 19–20: 65–227.
- Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter; Abdulfattah, Kamal (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
- Seetzen, U.J. (1810). A Brief Account of the Countries Adjoining the Lake of Tiberias, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea. London: Palestine Association of London.
External links
- Map of town, Google Maps
- Cheik Meskin-map; 21L