Idlib

Idlib
ادلب
Edlib

Typical olive field in the valleys surrounding Idlib
Idlib

Location in Syria

Coordinates: 35°56′N 36°38′E / 35.933°N 36.633°E
Country  Syria
Governorate Idlib Governorate
District Idlib District
Government
 • Governor Atef Ghanem al-Naddaf
Elevation 500 m (1,600 ft)
Population (2010 census[1])
 • Total 165,000
Area code(s) 23
Website eIdleb
Olive fields at the outskirts of the city. Idlib is major production center of olives

Idlib (Arabic: ادلب‎, also spelled Edlib or Idleb) is a city in northwestern Syria, capital of the Idlib Governorate, and 59 kilometers (37 mi) south west of Aleppo. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Idlib had a population of 98,791 (2004 census) and in 2010 the population of Idlib was around 165,000 (2010 census) . The inhabitants are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims,[2] although there is a significant Christian minority. Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyeh (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriya, and al-Qusur.

A major agricultural center of Syria, the Idlib area is also historically significant, containing many "dead cities" and man-made tells. Idlib contains the ancient city of Ebla, once the capital of a powerful kingdom.[3] ancient kingdoms of Nuhašše and Luhuti flourished in the Governorate during the Bronze and Iron ages.[4]

History

Ottoman era

During the Ottoman era of rule in Syria, between the 16th and 19th centuries, Idlib served as the capital of a kada ("subdistrict capital") bearing its name, part of the larger Vilayet of Aleppo ("Province of Aleppo.")[5] The city was a center of olive production, which in turn gave way to a prosperous olive-based soap industry. Although the major markets for Idlib's soap were at Aleppo, Antioch, and Hama,[6] the product was exported as far as the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. Idlib was also a major producer of cotton fabrics.[7] Western traveler Josias Leslie Porter noted that Idlib was "encompassed in olive groves, rare in this bleak region." He further remarked that its olives groves were larger than those of Damascus, Beirut, and Gaza. In the mid-19th-century, the town had an estimated population of 8,000, including 500 Christians.[6] In the late 19th-century, Idlib was "flourishing" and contained a number of Christian families, according to German writers working for Karl Baedeker.[5]

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian Civil War, Idlib was the focus of protests and fighting in the early years of the war. As the uprising descended into conflict, Idlib became the focus of a rebel campaign, which temporarily captured the city and the governorate, prior to a government offensive in April 2012. After this, government forces retook the city and the rebel-controlled province after a month of fighting, prior to the attempted enforcement of the ceasefire proposed by Kofi Annan. After a brief offensive in March 2015 rebels led by Jabhat al-Nusra succeeded in capturing the city again, as well as besieging the Shi'a-majority towns of Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya to the north of Idlib city.[8]

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa).[9] Summers are hot and rainless, while winters are rainy and cool.

The highest record temperatures was 44 °C (111 °F) on June 16, 2012.[10] according to arabiaweather.com the lowest temperature ever recorded in idlib was −23 °C (−9 °F) in January 1951 [11][12]

Climate data for Idlib
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20
(68)		 21
(70)		 26
(79)		 35
(95)		 37
(99)		 44
(111)		 42
(108)		 39
(102)		 38
(100)		 37
(99)		 29
(84)		 24
(75)		 44
(111)
Average high °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)		 12.2
(54)		 16.7
(62.1)		 22.2
(72)		 28
(82)		 31.7
(89.1)		 33.2
(91.8)		 34.2
(93.6)		 31.8
(89.2)		 26.7
(80.1)		 18.7
(65.7)		 12.2
(54)		 23.13
(73.62)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2)		 7.7
(45.9)		 11.3
(52.3)		 15.8
(60.4)		 20.9
(69.6)		 25
(77)		 27.1
(80.8)		 27.8
(82)		 25.1
(77.2)		 20
(68)		 13
(55)		 8.1
(46.6)		 17.33
(63.17)
Average low °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)		 3.2
(37.8)		 6
(43)		 9.5
(49.1)		 13.8
(56.8)		 18.4
(65.1)		 21
(70)		 21.4
(70.5)		 18.4
(65.1)		 13.4
(56.1)		 7.4
(45.3)		 4
(39)		 11.58
(52.86)
Record low °C (°F) −23
(−9)		 −5
(23)		 1
(34)		 1
(34)		 8
(46)		 15
(59)		 18
(64)		 20
(68)		 13
(55)		 3
(37)		 −4
(25)		 −5
(23)		 −23
(−9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 97
(3.82)		 88
(3.46)		 59
(2.32)		 41
(1.61)		 18
(0.71)		 5
(0.2)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 6
(0.24)		 25
(0.98)		 41
(1.61)		 93
(3.66)		 473
(18.61)
Source #1: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 432m)[9]
Source #2: Voodoo Skies for record temperatures[10]

Economy

Idlib is a major production center for olives, cotton, wheat and fruits, particularly cherries.[3] Other principal crops include almonds, sesame seeds, figs, grapes and tomatoes.[13] In 1995 there were roughly 300 hectares planted with various citrus crop.[14] Olive oil pressing and textiles are some of the city's local industries.[13] The nearby city of Aleppo has an important economic presence in Idlib.[3]

The Idlib Regional Museum in the city contains over 17,000 of the Ebla tablets and serves as Idlib's main tourist attraction, excluding the nearby ancient site of Ebla itself. Under the Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the governments of Italy and Syria, the museum was to undergo a restoration and renovation project starting in 2010.[15]

Byzantine temple at Ruweiha near Idlib.

Sports

Omayya Idlib, founded in 1972, is the most popular football team in the city. The club played in the Syrian Premier League for the 2011-2012 season. Idlib Municipal Stadium is the main football venue in the city. Coordinates: 35°56′N 36°38′E / 35.933°N 36.633°E

References

  1. ↑ Idlib city population
  2. ↑ Mroue, Bassem. "Syrian forces capture rebel stronghold near Turkey". The Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. 2012-03-13. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Casule, 2008, p.56.
  4. ↑ John David Hawkins. Inscriptions of the Iron Age: Part 1. p. 400.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Baedeker, 1912, p.376.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Porter, 1868, p. 580.
  7. ↑ Inalcik, 1997, p.501.
  8. ↑ Sherlock, Ruth (29 March 2015). "Thousands flee Syrian city Idlib after rebel capture". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Climate: Idlib - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Idlib, Syria". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  11. ↑ http://sy.arabiaweather.com/content/%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B0-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-1950
  12. ↑ http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Idlib, Syria. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. 2012. Retrieved on 2012-03-11.
  14. ↑ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1996, p. 147.
  15. ↑ Ferrari, 2009, p. 522.

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