Al-Qadmus
Al-Qadmus
القدموس Cadmus | |
|---|---|
  Al-Qadmus | |
| Coordinates:35°6′5″N36°9′40″E/ 35.10139°N 36.16111°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Baniyas |
| Subdistrict | Al-Qadmus |
| Elevation | 850 m (2,780 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 5,551 |
| Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3(EEST) |
Al-Qadmus(Arabic:القدموس,also spelledal-QadmousorCadmus) is a town in northwesternSyria,administratively part of theTartus Governorate,located northeast ofTartusand 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) southeast ofBaniyas.Nearby localities includeKaff al-JaaandMasyafto the east,Wadi al-'Uyunandal-Shaykh Badrto the south,Hammam Wasel,al-QamsiyahandMaten al-Sahelto the southwest,Taanitato the west,al-Annazehto the northwest andDeir Mamato the northeast. It is situated just east of theMediterraneancoast and its ruined castle stands on a plateau roughly 850 metres (2,790 feet)above sea leveland just above the town.[2]
According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics,al-Qadmus had a population of 5,551 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the al-Qadmusnahiyah( "sub-district" ) which contained 25 localities with a collective population of 22,370 in 2004.[1]The inhabitants al-Qadmus are predominantlyIsma'ilisandAlawites,with each community constituting about 50% of the population. The villages in the surrounding countryside are mostly inhabited by Alawites.[3]
Al-Qadmus is home to an important medieval castle that served as the headquarters of the Isma'ili community in Syria, known as theAssassinsduring theCrusaderera. Today, the castle is largely in ruins and, along with some scattered Ottoman-era houses throughout the town, serves as a tourist site. Al-Qadmus also contains a large mosque with an octagonalminaret.The town is also a center for tobacco production in Syria.[4]
Etymology
[edit]The city is named afterCadmus,who was a Phoenician prince known for introducing the originalAlphabetorPhoenician alphabet—Φοινίκων γράμματα Phoinikōn grammata, "Phoenician letters" — to the Greeks.
Climate
[edit]In Al Qadmus, the climate is warm and temperate. In winter there is much more rainfall in Al Qadmus than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Csa. The average annual temperature in Al Qadmus is 16.2 °C (61.2 °F). About 1,286 mm (50.63 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Al-Qadmus | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
24.2 (75.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
20.7 (69.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.5 (38.3) |
4.2 (39.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.2 (48.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 249 (9.8) |
217 (8.5) |
191 (7.5) |
111 (4.4) |
40 (1.6) |
7 (0.3) |
1 (0.0) |
3 (0.1) |
18 (0.7) |
57 (2.2) |
117 (4.6) |
275 (10.8) |
1,286 (50.5) |
| Average snowy days | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Source: Weather Online, Weather Base, BBC Weather and My Weather 2, Climate data | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]Medieval period
[edit]The fortress of al-Qadmus was captured byBohemond I of Antiochin 1129.[5]In 1130-1131 it was recaptured by local Muslim forces. The fortress was later sold to theIsma'ili(known then as theAssassins) sect in 1132 by the Muslim emir ofal-Kahf,Sayf al-Mulk ibn Amrun.[6]By 1167 the scholarBenjamin of Tudelawrote that al-Qadmus served as the principal seat of the Assassins.[7]Although details are few, al-Qadmus changed hands between the Assassins and the Crusaders a few more times, before being firmly under the control of the former.[4]
Al-Qadmus was captured and annexed to theMamluk SultanatebyBaibarsin 1273.[8][9]It was still controlled by the Ismailis, albeit as loyal subjects to the sultanate, during the intermittent reign of Sultanan-Nasir Muhammad(1294-1340).[10]When North African scholarIbn Battutavisited al-Qadmus in 1355, duringMamlukrule, noting that it was part of theniyabah( "governorship" ) ofMasyaf,a dependency ofTripoli.Later this governorship was detached from Tripoli and transferred toDamascusprovince when it was visited byal-Qalqashandiin 1412.[11]Taxes on cotton cloth and silk were abolished in the district of al-Qadmus by various Mamluk sultans in the late 15th century.[12]
Ottoman era
[edit]In 1683, during theOttomanperiod, Muslim scholarAbd al-Ghani al-Nabulsivisited al-Qadmus and noted theemirof the fortress belonged to theTanukhiclan, anArabtribe that originally settled in theBataneaarea of southern Syria during Byzantine rule and migrated northwards.[13]
In the 1830sIbrahim Pasha of Egyptdestroyed the fortress of al-Qadmus during theKhedivate Egyptianinvasion of theLevant.[4]Al-Qadmus was the seat of Ismaili power at the time.[14]It was also the center of a district which contained 177 villages. The leading families of the town, and the ones where theemirshailed from, were the Hejawiyah and the Suwaydaniya.[15]In the 1840s the Ismaili chief of al-Qadmus successfully lobbied the Ottoman authorities to allow Ismaili resettlement of the abandoned town ofSalamiyah,east ofHama.[16]Pressure from the surroundingAlawiteheartland caused many to emigrate for Salamiyah, although the town maintained its political and economic significance in the region and served a commanding role in the centralCoastal Mountain Range,similar to that played bySafita.Al-Qadmus's inhabitants specialized in commerce and artisan crafts. The town was a destination for farmers fromal-Annazah,Talinandal-Shaykh Badrand exported the agricultural products of the area to major cities likeHama,TripoliandBeirut.[17]
While most of the Ismailis in Syria transferred their allegiance to the Qasim Shahi line ofAga Khan IIIin 1887, the Ismailis of Qadmus and Masyaf remained affiliated with the Muhammad Shahi line. They are known as the "Ja'afariya" sect and by the 1990s they numbered around 15,000.[18]The quarter in Salamiyah where many of al-Qadmus' inhabitants had settled was named "al-Qadamisa," after the town of their origin.[19]
Modern era
[edit]In December 1918, during theSyrian Coastal Revoltled bySaleh al-Aliagainst the occupyingFrench authorities,French forces stationed at al-Qadmus attempted to launch an attack against al-Ali's stronghold in nearbyal-Shaykh Badr.Al-Ali and his forces engaged and defeated the French near the village ofWadi al-Oyun.Because the Ismaili leadership in al-Qadmus had allied themselves with the French, al-Ali assaulted the town soon afterward. French forces came to aid their allies, but were defeated a second time on 21 February 1919.[20]By July 1919 the French and al-Ali concluded a peace agreement, but it was violated by the former when, from their base in al-Qadmus, they burned down the village ofKaff al-Jaz.Subsequently, al-Ali launched a counterattack against al-Qadmus.[21]
Prior to the ascent of theBaathist governmentin 1963, the built-up areas of al-Qadmus was largely concentrated just south and east of the citadel, where most houses were built closely together. This area contained the oldsouk( "market" ) and the Ismailimosque.In the 1970s and 1980s, during the presidency ofHafez al-Assad,the town expanded northward towards the east-west road connectingMasyafandBaniyas.The intersection of this highway has become the commercial center of the town. Tourism-centered development spearheaded by private contractors began in the late 1980s, mostly concentrated north of the fortress, east of the town's main thoroughfare and south of the east-west highway. The area attracts vacationers mostly from other parts of Syria, including a high proportion of Ismailis from other cities.[17]
Al-Qadmus's political and socio-economic position in the central coastal mountains region significantly decreased after 1970. This was in part due to the promotion of nearby al-Shaykh Badr to adistrict centerthat year, which shifted the focus away from al-Qadmus, with villagers in the area going to al-Shaykh Badr for services. Moreover, the gradual development and improvement of transportation infrastructure between Baniyas and its hinterland made it easier for the people ofHammam Wasel,al-AnnazahandTalinto travel to Baniyas instead of al-Qadmus.[17]
In early July 2005 confessional violence broke out between some of the Ismaili and Alawite residents of al-Qadmus. The clashes were apparently started after a few young Alawite men began speaking to Ismaili women to the consternation of the latter's male relatives. When the relatives complained to the town's Alawite police commander, he refrained from becoming involved in the dispute. Many in the Alawite community subsequently boycotted Ismaili-owned businesses in al-Qadmus, particularly the furniture stores and sweet shops, and instead opted to purchase from the surrounding markets. The local Ismaili merchants were angered at the severe decrease in their business's profits as a result of the boycott and began hurling stones at Alawite-owned storefronts. Later that evening some Alawite residents retaliated by ransacking and burning down 27 Ismaili-owned businesses, causing damage worth an estimatedLS10 million.[3]A 75-year-old man from the town was killed in the violence and 13 others were wounded.[22]The clashes ended when twoSyrian Armybattalions from nearby military bases closed the roads leading to al-Qadmus and detained and questioned about 500 suspects.[3]A civilian delegation from al-Qadmus met with Syrian presidentBashar al-Assadin an attempt to relieve tensions in the town.[22]The Alawitenahiyah( "sub-district" ) chief of al-Qadmus was replaced by aChristianwho was seen asneutral.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abGeneral Census of Population and Housing 2004.Syria Central Bureau of Statistics(CBS). Tartus Governorate.(in Arabic)
- ^Great Britain-Naval Intelligence Division.Syria: April 1943.(1944). Page 416.
- ^abcdShora, 2008, pp. 226-230.Articlewritten byJoshua Landisand was published on 2005-07-28.
- ^abcLee, p. 179.
- ^Stevenson, 1907, p. 128.
- ^Bosworth, 1989, p. 789.
- ^Daftary, 1992, p. 5.
- ^Raphael, p. 106.
- ^Holt, p. 263.
- ^Daftary, 2007, p. 402.
- ^Bosworth, 1989, p. 291.
- ^Jidejian, 1980, pp. 79-80.
- ^Lyde, 1860, p. 46.
- ^Ainsworth, 1852, p. 88.
- ^Bibliotheca Sacra and Theological Review.5.(1848). Allen, Morrill, and Wardwell.
- ^Daftary, 1998, p. 202.
- ^abcBalanche, Fabrice(2006).La région alaouite et le pouvoir syrien(in French). Karthala Editions.ISBN2845868189.
- ^Daftary, 1998, p. 203.
- ^Sluglett, 2010, p. 493.
- ^Moosa, 1987, p. 282.
- ^Moosa, 1987, p. 283.
- ^abSyrian Authorities Ban Human Rights Activist from Leaving Country.Kuwait News Agency.2005-07-14.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ainsworth, W. Harrison, ed. (1852).The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist.Vol. 94. Chapman and Hall.
- Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (1989).The Encyclopaedia of Islam: Fascicules 111-112: Masrah Mawlid, Parts 111-112.BRILL.ISBN9789004092396.
- Daftary, Farhad (1992).The Isma'Ilis: Their History and Doctrines.Cambridge University Press.ISBN0521429749.
- Daftary, Farhad (1998).A Short History of the Ismailis: Traditions of a Muslim Community.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN0748609040.
- Daftary, Farhad (2007).The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0521850841.
- Holt, Peter Malcolm (1995).Early Mamluk Diplomacy, 1260-1290: Treaties of Baybars and Qalāwūn with Christian Rulers.BRILL.ISBN9004102469.
- Jidejian, Nina (1980).Tripoli Through the Ages.Dar el-Mashreq Publishers.ISBN9782721458360.
- Lee, Jess (2010).Syria Handbook.Footprint Travel Guides.ISBN978-1907263033.
- Lyde, Samuel (1860).The Asian Mystery Illustrated in the History, Religion, and Present State of the Ansaireeh Or Nusairis of Syria.Longman.
Kadmoos Syria.
- Moosa, Matti (1987).Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects.Syracuse University Press.ISBN0-8156-2411-5.
- Raphael, Kate (2011).Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols.Taylor & Francis US.ISBN978-0415569255.
- Shora, Nawar (2008).The Arab-American Handbook: A Guide to the Arab, Arab-American, and Muslim Worlds.Cune Press.ISBN978-1885942142.
- Sluglett, Peter (2010).Syria and Bilad al-Sham under Ottoman Rule: Essays in Honour of Abdul Karim Rafeq.BRILL.ISBN978-9004181939.
- Stevenson, William Barron (1907).The Crusaders in the East: A Brief History of the Wars of Islam with the Latins in Syria During the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries.Cambridge University Press.
barin hama.
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