Jamla

This article is about the village in southern Syria. For the archaeological site in the Golan Heights, see Gamla.
Jamla
جملة
Village
Jamla
Coordinates: 32°48′22″N 35°51′3″E / 32.80611°N 35.85083°E
Country  Syria
Governorate Daraa
District Daraa
Subdistrict al-Shajara
Population (2004)
 • Total 1,916
Time zone EET (UTC+3)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+2)

Jamla (Arabic: جملة‎, also spelled Gamlah, Jumlah or Jamleh) is a village in southwestern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate and immediately east of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It is situated on the eastern slopes of the Wadi Ruqqad valley.[1] Nearby localities include Abdin to the south, the nahiyah ("subdistrict") center of al-Shajara to the southwest, Nafia to the east, Ayn Zakar to the northeast and Saida to the north. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Jamla had a population of 1,916 in the 2004 census.[2] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.

History

The village likely has an ancient history, indicated by the large stone ruins in the vicinity, including that of a rectangular-shaped building. The area is marked by basaltic mounds called rujm, some of which rise to an elevation between 24 and 30 feet. Atop the summits of the rujm are delineated circles and squares stretching to widths up to 10 feet. These shapes were formed by blocks of rudely carved basaltic rock.[1]

In the late 19th-century Jamla was described as an impoverished village of 36 hut-like houses and a population of 160 Muslims. Arable land was relatively scarce, although there was significant pasture areas to the south. Figs and vegetables were cultivated by the residents in fields to the north and the southwest. There was an abundant supply of water deriving from the Ain Hamatah spring which fed a stream that flowed around the village and irrigated its crops.[1] The residents owned the property of Tahunat Jamla, a small mill turned by the Wadi Seisun waterfall.[1]

During the ongoing Syrian civil war, on 6 March 2013, anti-government rebels kidnapped 21 Filipino United Nations peacekeepers patrolling the border between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,later released by rebels after talks. The rebels alleged the peacekeepers of cooperating with the Syrian authorities and demanded that the Syrian Army withdraw from Jamla in return for their release.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Schumacher, Oliphant and le Strange, 1889, pp. 74-75.
  2. ↑ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (Arabic)
  3. ↑ Rebels detain UN observers on Syria border. Al Jazeera English. 2013-03-06.

Bibliography