Idlib
Idlib
إِدْلِب | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Typical grove in one of the valleys surrounding Idlib (2009). | |
  Idlib Location of Idlib within Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°56′N36°38′E/ 35.933°N 36.633°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Idlib |
| Subdistrict | Idlib |
| Control |  Syrian Salvation Government |
| Government | |
| •Governor | Atef Ghanem al-Naddaf |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23 km2(9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Population (2010 census[1]) | |
| • Total | 165,000 |
| Demonym(s) | English:Idlibian Arabic:إدلبي,romanized:Idlibi |
| Area code | 23 |
| Geocode | C3871 |
| Climate | Csa |
| Website | eIdleb |
Idlib(Arabic:إِدْلِب,romanized:ʾIdlib,pronounced[ʔid.lib];also speltIdleborEdlib) is acityin northwesternSyria,and is the capital of theIdlib Governorate.It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level, and is 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest ofAleppo.The city was taken over bySyrian revolutionat the beginning of theSyrian Civil Warin 2011, and by 2017 was the seat of theSyrian Salvation Government.
Demographics
[edit]In the 2004 census by theCentral Bureau of Statistics of Syria,Idlib had a population of 98,791 and in 2010 the population was around 165,000. The inhabitants are mostlySunni Muslim,[2]although there was previously a significantChristianminority, but by 2022 there was only a single elderly Christian man left in the city.[3][4][5]Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyah (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriyah, and al-Qusour.
History
[edit]Classical Antiquity
[edit]
Idlib, along with the rest of Syria were conquered by theArmeniankingTigranes the Great,and incorporated in theArmenian Empire,only to be later conquered by the RomanPompey the Greataround 64 BC. The city was never of much significance, belonging to the province ofRoman Syriaunder theRoman Empire,and later to theEastern Romanprovince of Syria Secunda before being conquered by theArabsaround the middle of the seventh century. Not much remains from Roman andByzantinetimes in the city, except in its museum. North of the city are theDead Cities,a collection of important archaeological sites from the Byzantine era.
Ottoman era
[edit]During earlyOttomanrule in Syria, beginning in 1516, Idlib was a smalltimar(fief). The village of Idlib was founded byFadil Ahmed Pasha,the son of Grand VizierKöprülü Mehmed Pasha(r. 1656–1661) who appointed him governor ofDamascus Eyalet.In later years, it developed as a town with markets,bathhousesandcaravanserais,including Khan Abi Ali and Khan al-Ruz.[7]
From the Köprülü period, Idlib was a center of olive production.[8]which in turn gave way to a prosperousolive-based soapindustry. Although the major markets for Idlib's soap were atAleppo,Antioch,andHama,[9]the product was exported as far as theOttomancapital ofIstanbul.Idlib was also a major producer of cotton fabrics.[10]Western travelerJosias Leslie Porternoted that Idlib was "encompassed in olive groves, rare in this bleak region",[9]and remarked that its olive groves were larger than those of Damascus,Beirut,orGaza.In the mid-19th-century, the town had an estimated population of 8,000, including 500Christians.[9]In the late 19th century, Idlib was "flourishing" and still contained a number of Christian families, according to German orientalistAlbert Socin.[11]
Syrian civil war and HTS takeover
[edit]
During theuprising since 2011,Idlib was the focus of protests and fighting in the early phase of the Syrian war. As the uprising descended into armed conflict, Idlib became the focus of a rebel campaign, which temporarily captured the city and the governorate, prior to a government offensive in April 2012. After this, government forces retook the city and the rebel-controlled province after a month of fighting, prior to the attempted enforcement of the ceasefire proposed byKofi Annan.After the2015 Idlib offensivein March, the rebel allianceArmy of Conquest,led by theal-Nusra FrontandAhrar al-Sham,succeeded in theSecond Battle of Idliband captured the city,[12]as well as besieging the Shi'a-majority towns ofAl-Fu'ahandKafriyato the north of Idlib city.[13]In April 2015, the interim seat of theSyrian opposition'sSyrian Interim Governmentwas proposed to be Idlib,[14]in Idlib Governorate. On 23 July 2017,Tahrir al-Sham,the successor to the al-Nusra Front,expelled the remaining forcesofAhrar al-Shamfrom Idlib, capturing the entire city.[15]
Climate
[edit]Köppen-Geiger climate classification systemclassifies its climate ashot-summer Mediterranean(Csa).[16]Summers are hot and rainless, while winters are rainy and cool.
The all-time record high temperature was 44 °C (111 °F) on June 16, 2012.[17]
| Climate data for Idlib | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
21 (70) |
26 (79) |
35 (95) |
37 (99) |
44 (111) |
42 (108) |
39 (102) |
38 (100) |
37 (99) |
29 (84) |
24 (75) |
44 (111) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.2 (52.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
31.3 (88.3) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.2 (93.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
26.2 (79.2) |
18.7 (65.7) |
12.8 (55.0) |
23.3 (74.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.9 (60.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
20.0 (68.0) |
13.1 (55.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.4 (43.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.7 (58.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−5 (23) |
1 (34) |
1 (34) |
8 (46) |
15 (59) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
13 (55) |
3 (37) |
−4 (25) |
−5 (23) |
−5 (23) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 63 (2.5) |
55 (2.2) |
43 (1.7) |
27 (1.1) |
19 (0.7) |
4 (0.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
5 (0.2) |
21 (0.8) |
35 (1.4) |
62 (2.4) |
334 (13.2) |
| Source 1:Climate-Data.org(1991-2021 altitude: 432m)[16] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Voodoo Skiesfor record temperatures[17] | |||||||||||||
Economy
[edit]
Idlib is a major production center forolives,cotton,wheat and fruits, particularly cherries.[18]Other principal crops includealmonds,sesame seeds,figs, grapes and tomatoes.[19]In 1995 there were roughly 300hectaresplanted with variouscitruscrop.[20]Olive oilpressing andtextilesare some of the city's local industries.[19]The nearby city of Aleppo has an important economic presence in Idlib.[18]
Idlib is a major agricultural center of Syria, the Idlib area is also historically significant, containing many "dead cities" andtells.
Because of the rapidly declining value of theSyrian pound,theTurkish lirabecame widespread in use in Idlib and was adopted as legal tender in the city on 15 June 2020.[21]
Culture
[edit]The Idlib Regional Museum in the city contains over 17,000 of theEbla tabletsand serves as Idlib's main tourist attraction, excluding the nearby ancient site of Ebla itself. Under the Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the governments ofItalyand Syria, the museum was to undergo a restoration and renovation project starting in 2010.[22][needs update]
Sports
[edit]Omayya SC,founded in 1972, is the most popularfootballteam in the city. The club played in theSyrian Premier Leaguefor the2011-2012 season.Idlib Municipal Stadiumis the main football venue in the city. 35°56′N36°38′E/ 35.933°N 36.633°E[citation needed]
Refugee and parathleteDima Aktaais from the city.[23]
References
[edit]- ^"مدينة إدلب السورية".aljazeera.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-10-17.Retrieved2014-10-16.
- ^Mroue, Bassem."Syrian forces capture rebel stronghold near Turkey"Archived2013-09-23 at theWayback Machine.The Salt Lake Tribune.Associated Press.2012-03-13. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.
- ^"Christian evacuees mourn Idlib".Al-Monitor.17 April 2015.Retrieved8 November2020.
- ^Saad, Hwaida (23 January 2022)."'Now There is No One': The Lament of One of the Last Christians in a Syrian City ".The New York Times.
- ^"'Al-Hajji' Michel Boutros: The last Syrian Christian of Idlib ".
- ^Timothy P. Harrison, Edward B. Banning (17 September 2015).Walls of the Prince: Egyptian Interactions with Southwest Asia in Antiquity: Essays in Honour of John S. Holladay, Jr.BRILL. p. 76.ISBN9789004302563.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-06-10.Retrieved2016-05-20.
- ^Bakhit 2010,p. 60.
- ^"İdlib, meşhur sadrazam Köprülü Mehmed Paşa'nın en büyük vakıflarından birinin merkezi idi".haberturk.com(in Turkish). 9 September 2018.
- ^abcPorter, 1868, p. 580.
- ^Inalcik, 1997, p.501.
- ^Baedeker, 1912, p.376.
- ^"Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest".Al-Ahram Weekly.28 May 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 31 May 2017.Retrieved4 September2018.
- ^Sherlock, Ruth (29 March 2015)."Thousands flee Syrian city Idlib after rebel capture".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2015.Retrieved29 March2015.
- ^"Will Syrian opposition move interim government to Idlib? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East".Al-Monitor.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-12-26.Retrieved2016-12-13.
- ^"Following the renewed fighting… Ahrar Al-Sham and Tahrir Al-Sham reconcile".SOHR.24 July 2017.Retrieved24 October2020.
- ^ab"Climate: Idlib - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table".Climate-Data.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-12-05.Retrieved2013-12-03.
- ^ab"Idlib, Syria".Voodoo Skies. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-21.Retrieved2013-12-03.
- ^abCasule, 2008, p.56.
- ^abIdlib, SyriaArchived2012-03-11 at theWayback Machine.Encyclopædia Britannica.Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. 2012. Retrieved on 2012-03-11.
- ^Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations,1996, p. 147.
- ^DAILY SABAH WITH AGENCIES (2020-06-16)."Idlib follows suit in adopting Turkish lira to shield region from plummeting Syrian pound".Daily Sabah.Retrieved2020-06-16.
- ^Ferrari, 2009, p. 522.
- ^Speare-Cole, Rebecca (2020-06-14)."Disabled Syrian refugee helps raise £70k to protect camps from virus".Evening Standard.Retrieved2022-12-27.
Bibliography
[edit]- Baedeker, Karl (1912),Palestine and Syria, with routes through Mesopotamia and Babylonia and the island of Cyprus: handbook for travellers,K. Baedeker
- Bakhit, Muhammad Adnan (2010). "Abdul-Karim Rafeq, Friend and Colleague". In Sluglett, Peter; Weber, Stefan (eds.).Syria and Bilad al-Sham under Ottoman Rule: Essays in Honour of Abdul-Karim Rafeq.Leiden and Boston: Brill. pp. 59–64.ISBN978-90-04-18193-9.
- Casule, F. (2008),Art and History Syria,Casa Editrice Bonechi,ISBN978-8847601192
- Angelo, Ferrari (2009),Proceedings 4th International Congress on "Science and Technology for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin",vol. 1, Angelo Ferrari-CNR, Institute of Chemical Methodologies,ISBN978-8896680315
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (1996).Citrus Pest Problems and Their Control in the Near East.Food & Agriculture Org.ISBN9251033013.
- Inalcik, Halil (1997),An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire,Cambridge University Press,ISBN0521574552
- Porter, Josias Leslie (1858).A Handbook for Travellers in Syria and Palestine.Vol. 1. Murray.
External links
[edit]News and events
[edit]- eIdlebThe first complete website for Idleb news and services
Governmental services
[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
