Beit Jinn
Beit Jinn
بيت جن | |
---|---|
Coordinates:33°18′38″N35°55′8″E/ 33.31056°N 35.91889°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
District | Qatana |
Subdistrict | Beit Jinn |
Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 2,846 |
Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
Area code | 11 |
Beit Jinn(Arabic:بيت جن), also known asBayt Jin,Beit JannorBeyt Jene,is a town in southernSyria,administratively part of theRif Dimashq Governorate,located southwest ofDamascuson the foothills ofMount Hermon.According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics,Beit Jinn had a population of 2,846 in the 2004 census.[1]Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims.[2]
The town is the administrative center of the Beit Jinn Subdistrict, which consists of nine towns, with a combined population of 15,668.[1]The subdistrict has a mixed Sunni and Druze population and Beit Jinn contains a Druze religious shrine.[3]Nearby localities includeArnahto the north,Darbalto the northeast,Mazraat Beit Jinnto the east,Harfato the southeast, andHaderto the southwest. The Nahr al-Awaj river (ancientPharpar) passes near the town.
History
[edit]Beit Jinn was visited byAndalusiangeographerIbn Jubayrin the late 12th century, duringAyyubidrule. He noted that it was "a village betweenDarayyahandBaniyaslying among the hills. "[4]
In 1838, duringOttomanrule,Eli Smithnoted Beit Jinn's population as being predominantlySunni Muslim.[5]
In December 2017, according to theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights,the village was a source of fighting between theSyrian Arab Armed Forcesand theal-Qaeda-affiliated Levant Liberation Committee.[6]Following theBeit Jinn offensiveof late 2017, the Syrian government took control of the area. The local rebels surrendered and were allowed to leave.[7]
References
[edit]- ^abcGeneral Census of Population and Housing 2004.Syria Central Bureau of Statistics(CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate.(in Arabic)
- ^Gilbert, Ben (2013-11-02)."Syria: Refugees dodge patrols on deadly mountain hike to safety".Al-Jazeera America.
- ^Sharrouf, Ayman (2014-11-11)."Assad's Druze game exposed".NOW News. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-15.Retrieved2015-09-04.
- ^Le Strange, 1890, p.412
- ^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p.139
- ^The Associated Press(December 25, 2017)."Syrian troops capture new areas near Israeli-occupied Golan".The Washington Post.
The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that Syrian troops and their allies captured Monday three new areas from al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee [...] The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the fighters are now besieged in the village of Beit Jin and nearby areas after a 10-day intense offensive.
[dead link] - ^"Assad regains control as Syrian rebels abandon area bordering Golan Heights".Times of Israel.
Bibliography
[edit]- Le Strange, G.(1890).Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500.Committee of thePalestine Exploration Fund.
- 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.