Imtan

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Imtan (Arabic: امتان‎) is a village in As Suwaydā' Governorate, southern Syria. Imtan is located 40 Km (25 mi) south of the town of As Suwaydā', 1189 meters above sea level in the southern part of Jabal el Druze.

According to statistics, Imtan has a population of 8000. However, less than 2600 actually live there,^{[citation needed]} due to consecutive years of drought and constant immigration.

[edit] History

It is believed that the village has been inhabitied since 6000 BCE, however there is little evidence supporting this. Imtan has many archeological sites spanning many eras, including the ruins of Roman public baths. The village played a major role in the Syrian revolt against France in 1925.

[edit] People

The village is mainly inhabited by Druze. The inhabitants are predominantly poor. Still though, The village boasts a large number of university graduates (more than 300).^[1]

The inhabitants look to collaborative work as a way to compensate for the absence of government services. They collaborated to build a school, medical center, and cooperative retail store. They have also established a farmer's union and community fund which offers help to the poorest families.^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Fuad Al-Bunnei. "Mojtama' Mossaghar (A Micro Community)", An-Nour newspaper, issue No.195, April 20, 2005 (link is in Arabic).

Coordinates: 32°25′0″N, 36°49′0″E