Al-Suqaylabiyah
Al-Suqaylabiyah
السقيلبيه | |
|---|---|
  Al-Suqaylabiyah Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 35°22′11″N 36°22′48″E / 35.36972°N 36.38000°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Al-Suqaylabiyah |
| Subdistrict | Al-Suqaylabiyah |
| Elevation | 220 m (720 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 17,313 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
Al-Suqaylabiyah (Arabic: السقيلبيه, romanized: As Suqailabiya) is a Greek Orthodox Christian Syrian city administratively belonging to Hama Governorate. Al-Suqaylabiyah is located at a height of 220 meters above sea level. According to the 2004 official census, the town has a population of 17,313.
History
[edit]The name goes back to the ancient Seleucia ad Belum, a town of Hellenistic foundation that was located almost at the same place. The site was given up during the Middle Ages and repopulated at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1860 local Bedouin tribes attacked al-Suqaylabiyah.[1]
In July 2020, the Syrian government announced a plan to build a replica of the Hagia Sophia in Al-Suqaylabiyah with Russian assistance as a reaction to its transformation into a mosque by Turkish authorities.[2] Two years later, in July 2022, a missile attack during the church inauguration ceremony claimed two lives and left a dozen others injured.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Douwes 2000, p. 38.
- ^ "Russia to fund small-scale replica Hagia Sophia in Syria that will be used as a church". The Art Newspaper. 6 August 2020.
- ^ سوريا.. قتلى وجرحى بقصف استهدف حفل افتتاح كنيسة "آيا صوفيا" (in Arabic). Alhurra. 24 July 2022.
Bibliography
[edit]- Douwes, Dick (2000). The Ottomans in Syria: a history of justice and oppression. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1860640311.
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