Inkhil
| Inkhil أنخل | |
|---|---|
  Inkhil | |
| Coordinates: 33°0′N 36°7′E / 33.000°N 36.117°E | |
| Country |
 Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa Governorate |
| District | Al-Sanamayn District |
| Nahiyah | Al-Sanamayn |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 31,258 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Inkhil (Arabic: أنخل, also spelled Ankhil) is a large town in the al-Sanamayn District of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria located north of Daraa and just east of the Golan Heights in the Hauran plain. In the 2004 census by the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics it had a population 31,258.[1]
History
During Roman Empire rule, Inkhil was dominated by the Ghassanid Arab Kingdom, a vassal entity of the Romans based in nearby Jabiya to the west.[2] Among other ruins, there are the remains of a large villa in the town dating from the 2nd-century CE during Byzantine Empire-rule. Within the building is large vaulted central hall which connects to several rooms containing busts and other Byzantine-era sculptures carved from basalt. Its facade has highly decorated entrances and conch-head niches.[3]
The town consisted of about 50 houses in the early 1840s all of which were inhabited by Muslims.[4] In the Palestine Exploration Fund's Quarterly Statement, Inkhil was recorded to be a "small place numbering 55 to 60 huts."[5]
Inkhil was one of the first towns to participate in the 2011-2012 Syrian uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 following demonstrations in Daraa.[6] On 19 August four protesters were killed and dozens injured after Syrian security forces shot at demonstration emerging from a mosque following Friday prayers.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (Arabic)
- ↑ Shahid, p.203.
- ↑ Ball, pp.240-241.
- ↑ Royal Geographical Society, p.335.
- ↑ Palestine Exploration Fund, p.190.
- ↑ Sterling, Joe. Daraa: The spark that lit the Syrian flame. CNN. 2012-03-01. Retrieved on 2012-03-21.
- ↑ Inkhil Live Blog. Al Jazeera English. 2011-08-19. Retrieved on 2012-03-21.
Bibliography
- Palestine Exploration Fund (1897). Quarterly statement. Published at the Fund's Office.
- Shahid, Irfan (2002). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century: pt. 1, Toponymy, Monuments, Historical Geography, and Frontier Studies. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. ISBN 0884022145.
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