Ghabaghib

Ghabaghib

غَبَاغِب
Ghabaghib غَبَاغِب
Town
	Water well, Ghabaghib, 1965
	Ghabaghib
	Coordinates: 33°11′2″N 36°13′35″E / 33.18389°N 36.22639°E
Grid position	264/287
Country	Syria
Governorate	Daraa
District	Al-Sanamayn
Subdistrict	Ghabaghib
Elevation	710 m (2,329 ft)
Population (2004 census)
• Total	11,802
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Ghabaghib (Arabic: غَبَاغِب Ġabāġib; also spelled Ghabagheb) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located north of Daraa. Nearby localities include Muthabin to the southeast, al-Sanamayn to the south, Deir al-Bukht, Deir al-Adas to the east, Khan Dannun to the north and al-Qin to the northwest.

According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Ghabaghib had a population of 11,802 in the 2004 census.^[1] The town is also the administrative center of the Ghabaghib nahiyah which consists of thirteen villages with a combined population of 45,793.^[1]

History

Ayyubid period

On 16 January 1192, news reached Jerusalem that Alam al-Din Sulayman, an emir ("commander") of Ayyubid general Saladin, had died in Ghabaghib on his way to Aleppo.^[2] Later, in the early 13th-century, the town was visited by Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi who noted that it was "a village in the nearer districts of Hauran, 6 leagues from Damascus."^[3]

Ottoman period

In 1596, Ghabagib appeared in the Ottoman tax registers being part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Kilab in the Qada of Hauran. It had an entirely Muslim population consisting of 6 households and 5 bachelors. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives; a total of 2,000 akçe.^[4]

In 1838, Ghubaghib was noted as a Muslim village, situated "the Nukra, north of Al-Shaykh Maskin".^[5]

In the mid-19th-century, Ghabaghib was a small village with structures built of black basalt stone.^[6] The town, situated along the Hajj caravan route between Damascus and Mecca, served as an intermediate rest stop between Khan Dannun and al-Sanamayn.^[7] A tower was built in the town on the orders of Ottoman Sultan, Selim I.^[7] Ghabaghib later became a station on the Damascus–Daraa line of the Hejaz Railway.^[8] During the Syria–Lebanon Campaign in World War II, Ghabaghib served as the headquarters for the Free French Forces in southern Syria. The town was nicknamed "Rhubarb" by British soldiers who found the name too difficult to pronounce.^[9]

In 1906, the traveler William Ewing noted that "At Ghabaghib ... great cisterns and scattered ruins tell of an important place in times past."^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (in Arabic)
^ Ibn al-Athir, 2007, p. 395
^ Le Strange, 1890, p. 441.
^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 210
^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 151
^ Beke, 1862, p. 87
^ ^a ^b Newbold, 1846, p. 337
^ Masterman, 1897, p. 200.
^ Smith, 2009, p. 228.
^ Ewing, 1907, p. 5.

Bibliography

Beke, C.T. (1862). "Notes on an Excursion to Harrān, in Padan-Aram, and Thence over Mount Gilead and the Jordan, to Shechem". Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London. 32. Wiley-Blackwell: 76–100. doi:10.2307/1798402. JSTOR 1798402.
Ewing, William (1907). Arab and Druze at home. T. C. & E. C. Jack.
Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (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.
Ibn al-Athīr (2007). Donald Sidney Richards (ed.). The Chronicle of Ibn Al-Athīr for the Crusading Period from Al-Kāmil Fīʼl-taʼrīkh: The years 541–589. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754640783.
Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
Masterman, E.W.G. (1897). "The Damascus Railways". Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 29 (3): 198–200. doi:10.1179/peq.1897.29.3.198.
Newbold, Captain (1846). "On the Site of Ashtaroth". Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London. 16. Wiley-Blackwell: 331–338. doi:10.2307/1798240. JSTOR 1798240.
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.
Smith, Colin (2009). England's last war against France: fighting Vichy 1940-1942. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9780297852186.

External links

Map of town, Google Maps
Sanameine-map; 19L

[CBS-1] General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (in Arabic)

[2] Ibn al-Athir, 2007, p. 395

[3] Le Strange, 1890, p. 441.

[4] Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 210

[5] Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 151

[6] Beke, 1862, p. 87

[Newbold337-7] Newbold, 1846, p. 337

[8] Masterman, 1897, p. 200.

[9] Smith, 2009, p. 228.

[10] Ewing, 1907, p. 5.

[1]

v t e Cities and towns of Syria
Governorate centres	Aleppo Damascus Daraa Deir ez-Zor Hama al-Hasakah Homs Idlib Latakia Quneitra Raqqa Rif Dimashq as-Suwayda Tartus
District centres	Abu Kamal Afrin Ariha Atarib Ayn al-Arab Azaz al-Bab Baniyas Darayya Dayr Hafir Douma Duraykish Fiq al-Haffah Harem Izra' Jableh Jarabulus Jisr ash-Shughur Maarat al-Numaan al-Malikiyah Manbij Masyaf Mayadin Mhardeh al-Mukharram al-Foqani an-Nabk Palmyra Qamishli Qardaha Qatana Qudsaya al-Qusayr al-Qutayfah Ra's al-'Ayn al-Rastan as-Safira Safita Salamiyah Salkhad al-Sanamayn Shahba ash-Shaykh Badr al-Suqaylabiyah Talkalakh al-Tall Tell Abyad al-Thawrah Yabroud Zabadani
Sub-district centres	Abu Qilqil Abu al-Thuhur Akhtarin Amuda Arbeen Arima al-Ariqah al-Arishah Armanaz Arwad al-Asharah Assal al-Ward Awj Ayn al-Fijah Ayn Halaqim Ayn Issa Ayn al-Nasr Babbila Banan Barri Sharqi Beit Jinn Binnish Bir al-Helou Bosra Bulbul Busayrah Da'el al-Dana Darat Izza Darkush al-Darbasiyah Deir Atiyah al-Dimas al-Dumayr Furqlus Ghabaghib Ghandoura al-Ghariyah al-Ghizlaniyah al-Hader Hadidah al-Hajar al-Aswad al-Hajib Hajin al-Hamidiyah al-Hamraa Harasta Harbnafsah Harran al-Awamid al-Hirak Hish Hisyah al-Hawl Huraytan al-Huwash Ibbin Samaan Ihsim Jayrud al-Jalaa al-Janudiyah Jaramana al-Jarniyah Jasim al-Jawadiyah Jubb al-Jarrah Jubb Ramlah Jindires al-Jiza al-Qabu Kafr Batna Kafr Nabl Kafr Takharim Kafr Zita al-Karamah al-Kasrah Kessab al-Khafsah Khan Shaykhun Khasham Kirnaz Kuwayris Sharqi Khanaser Khirbet Ghazaleh Khirbet al-Tin Mahmoud al-Kiswah Ma'arrat Misrin Maabatli Maadan Maaloula Madaya Mahin Malah al-Malihah al-Mansurah Mare' Markada Mashta al-Helu Maskanah al-Masmiyah al-Mazraa Muhambal Muhasan al-Musayfirah al-Mushannaf Muzayrib al-Nashabiyah al-Nasirah Nawa Nubl al-Qadmus al-Qahtaniyah Qalaat al-Madiq Qarah al-Qaryatayn al-Qurayya Qurqania Rajo Rankus Rasm Harmil al-Imam al-Rai al-Riqama al-Ruhaybah al-Saan Saasaa Sabburah al-Sabe' Biyar al-Sabkhah Sadad Sahnaya Saidnaya Salqin Saraqib Sarmin Sarrin Sawran Sebei al-Shaddadah al-Shajara Shaqqa Sharran Shathah Shaykh al-Hadid al-Shaykh Maskin Shayukh Tahtani Shin Sinjar Sirghaya Slinfah Suluk al-Surah al-Saghirah al-Suwar Suran al-Susah al-Sukhnah al-Tabni Talbiseh Taldou al-Tamanah Tasil Tell al-Daman Tell Hamis Tell Rifaat Tell Salhab Tell Tamer Tedef Thiban Uqayribat Urum al-Kubra Wadi al-Oyun al-Yaarubiyah al-Zirbah az-Ziyarah