Harem, Syria

Harem (Arabic: حارم‎, Turkish: Harim) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Idlib Governorate. Harem has an altitude of 160 meters. It has a population of 21,934. Harem is situated exactly on the border of Turkey. Harem it is 55 km north of the city of Aleppo.^[1]

History

There is an important Arab Islamic castle in Harem which has been built in a unique military style.

This city, located on the Turkish border used to be on the route between Antioch and Aleppo, and has been around since the Byzantine era. The castle was originally Byzantine and was built by Nicephorus shortly after 959, it then fell to the Arabs and then to the Seljuk Turks. In 1097 it was taken by the Crusaders who kept it till 1119, except for a short time in 1098 when it was taken by the Muslim Arabs.

It fell to Nur Al Din in 1149, then taken back by the Crusaders in 1158 and back again by Nur Al Din in 1164. When the Mongols invaded in the 13th century, much of Harem was destroyed including its castle. What is left of the castle dates back to the Muslim - Crusader battles between 1164 and 1268. The crusader castle was rebuilt by the son of Saladin, Malik Al Zaher Ghazi.^[2]

Climate

Due to Harem's location being very near to Aleppo, the climate is very similar. Below is the climate table for Aleppo, because there is no climate data concerning Harem.

References