Salamiyah

Coordinates: 35°0′42.48″N 37°3′9″E / 35.0118000°N 37.05250°E / 35.0118000; 37.05250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Salamias
)
"Salamiya" redirects here. Not to be confused with Salmiya.
Salamieh (or Salamiyah)
سلمية
UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code33
A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995)

Salamiyah or Salamieh (

Shi'ite Nizari Isma'ili and Taiyabi Isma'ili Islamic schools and also the birthplace of influential poet Muhammad al-Maghut. The population of the city is 66,724 (2004 census).[1]

History

Salamieh is an ancient city occupied at least since 3500 BC, when it was part of ancient

Chmemis Castle
was built on the remains of a former volcano 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) northwest of Salamieh.

During the

Hashimites in the city in 754.[2]

According to Isma'ili Muslims, their sixth

Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah was either born in Salamieh or came to the city in 882 from Khuzistan, in modern-day Iran where he was raised by his uncle Abul Shalaghlagh the Hujjah (also called Lahiq) or leader of the Isma'ilis of Salamieh, one of the twelve Isma'ili communities at the time. Abdullah's son Muhammad al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah
, an Isma'ili Imam and the second Fatimid Caliph, was born in Salamieh in the late ninth century, and both left the city to establish the Fatimid state in northern Africa in the early tenth century.

After the death of Abul Shalaghlagh in 899, a dispute arose between Salamieh Isma'ilis due to the fact that he left no male descendants and apparently had designated his nephew Abdullah as his spiritual successor and leader of the Salamieh Isma'ili movement. Thereafter, a schism split the movement, provoked by Abdullah's claims on the imamate for himself and his descendants.

Yahya ibn Zikrawayh
.

Salamieh is mentioned by historians as a very small town with limited rural settlement consequent to the Qarmatian invasion until the early

Qadmus in northern Syria. Isma'ilis from Qadmus and Masyaf
among other smaller towns and villages emigrated to the newly rebuilt city which was first occupied by only sixteen families and by 1861, Salamieh became an agricultural village. The final major Isma'ili immigration to Salamieh occurred in 1919.

Salamieh is currently the largest population center of Isma'ili Muslims in the Arab world. The remains of Prince

Qadmus in the early twentieth century. Currently, a little more than half of the city's residents are Isma'ili.[4]

In 1934, Muhammad al-Maghut, the poet credit for being the father of free verse Arab poetry, was born in Salamieh. In 1991, visitors from the Dawoodi Bohra sect of Isma'ili Shia Islam in Yemen built the Mosque of Imam Isma'il adjacent to the grave of the Isma'ili Imam Isma'il. The mosque was built by order of their leader the Da'i al-Mutlaq Mohammed Burhanuddin according to an inscription on the mosque's wall. Although currently used for worship by Sunni Muslims, the mosque and mausoleum are visited in religious pilgrimages by Dawoodi Bohra worldwide.

Northwestern Syria campaign
.

Imam Abadullah
, Salamia, Syria, renovated by Dawoodi Bohra

Residence history of Salamieh

The residence history of Salamieh is as follows:[6]

"The Ismaili dais in search of a new residence for their Imam came to Salamia and inspected the town and approached the owner, Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Saleh, who had transformed the town into a flourishing commercial centre. They told him that there was a Hashimite merchant from Basra who was desirous of settling in the town. He readily accepted and pointed out to them a site along the main street in the market, where existed a house belonging to a certain Abu Farha. The Ismaili dais bought it for their Imam and informed him about it. Wafi Ahmad arrived to his new residence as an ordinary merchant. He soon pulled down the old building and had new ones built in its place; and also built a new wall around it. He also built a tunnel inside his house, leading to the desert, whose length was about 12 miles (19 kilometres). Money and treasures were carried on camels to the door of that tunnel at night. The door opened and the camels entered with their loads inside the house."

The photo placed here shows the mausoleum of the Imam. Near his qabr mubarak ("blessed grave"), the tunnel opening still exists.

Culture

The city is an agricultural center, with a largely agriculture based economy.

Mate
is extremely popular in Salamieh and a drink of major cultural importance in social gatherings.

Main sights

  • A hammam of unique architecture, likely dating from the Ayyubid era, sits in the town center, near a large underground Byzantine cistern which is said to lead all the way to Shmemis castle. There also exists one wall from an ancient Byzantine citadel.
  • The castle, of Roman-Greek origins.
  • Walls, rebuilt by
    Zengi
  • Mosque of al-Imam Isma'il, which originated as an Ancient Greek temple of Zeus, and was turned into a church in Byzantine times.
  • Remains of Roman canals, used for agriculture

Climate

Salamieh has a

cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
BSk).

Climate data for Salamiyah (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2) 		13.9
(57.0) 		18.2
(64.8) 		23.6
(74.5) 		29.6
(85.3) 		33.9
(93.0) 		36.4
(97.5) 		36.6
(97.9) 		33.7
(92.7) 		28.4
(83.1) 		20.0
(68.0) 		13.4
(56.1) 		25.0
(77.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.2
(36.0) 		3.0
(37.4) 		5.5
(41.9) 		8.8
(47.8) 		13.3
(55.9) 		17.3
(63.1) 		19.9
(67.8) 		20.3
(68.5) 		17.6
(63.7) 		13.2
(55.8) 		6.8
(44.2) 		3.3
(37.9) 		10.9
(51.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 59.8
(2.35) 		49.8
(1.96) 		41.5
(1.63) 		20.4
(0.80) 		13.6
(0.54) 		1.7
(0.07) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.3
(0.01) 		3.4
(0.13) 		15.5
(0.61) 		30.3
(1.19) 		49.3
(1.94) 		290.3
(11.43)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 9.7 8.1 6.4 3.8 2.1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.6 2.8 5.0 7.5 46.2
Source: NOAA[7]

References

  1. ^ Salamyah city population Archived 2013-01-13 at archive.today
  2. ^ See Ya'qubi, quoted in le Strange, 1890, p. 528
  3. ISBN 978-90-04-37902-2
    .pp. 86-108
  4. ^ Syria's diverse minorities, BBC, 9 December 2011
  5. ^ "Syria Snapshot II: A Homecoming Trip to Salamiyeh | Al Akhbar English". Archived from the original on 2016-06-03.
  6. ^ "Wafi Ahmad in Salamia". www.ismaili.net. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Salamya Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.

Bibliography

External links

Media related to Salamiyah at Wikimedia Commons

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