Kafr Buhum

Kafr Buhum
كفر بهم
Village

Kafr Buhum landscape
Kafr Buhum

Location in Syria

Coordinates: 35°3′40″N 36°41′50″E / 35.06111°N 36.69722°ECoordinates: 35°3′40″N 36°41′50″E / 35.06111°N 36.69722°E
Country  Syria
Governorate Hama Governorate
District Hama District
Nahiyah Hama
Elevation 330 m (1,080 ft)
Population (2004)
 • Total 12,194

Kafr Buhum (Arabic: كفر بهم‎, Syriac: ܟܟܦܪ ܒܚܡ, Kafar Bouhoum) is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 9 km southwest of Hama, 210 km (130 mi) north Damascus and 160 km (99 mi) south of Aleppo. Nearby localities include al-Rabiaa and Matnin to the northwest, Tayzin to the north, al-Khalidiyah to the east, Tell Qartal to the southeast, Birin to the south and al-Muaa to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kafr Buhum had a population of 12,194 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Christians.[2] It is 330 meters (1082 ft) above the sea level.

Geography

Town lands tend towards Asi River (Orontes River) Valley from the east. The town plateau relates with Masyaf plateau at the west, Muhardeh plateau at the north, and Harbenevsh basalt plateau at the south-west. The west and north plateaus composed of karst limestone rocks.

A town geography from the east and south is flatter than the north and west. From the beautiful hills in Kafr Buhum are Tel Veon which is located at the west of the town (2 km / 1.25 miles), Abi Salloum Plateau from the east and Almkens and Wadi al Khassalate, Kfraldos hills from the south.

The town has a Mediterranean climate, where winter is cold and rainy and summer is warm and dry. The climate is affected by the distance from the Mediterranean Sea, 80 km (50 mi) west, and by the coastal mountains barriers.

Etymology

All sources indicate that the current name of the town is derived from :

The first part of the name is (Kfar) in the Syriac language means "farm" or "village"

The second part has several possible meanings, including:

History

Housing in the town likely had started with the movement of people from the its surrounding caves and the traces over there show that. Then people came to the town from different regions.

The town is too ancient and perhaps existed since two thousands years. There is a lot of spiritual, moral important persons emerged in the town history since long time and headed them Gregorios bin Fadil, he is the first Aleppo bishop of the Melkite Greek Church, and he remained at the Episcopal from 1540 to 1582, with attempts in the Minstrelsy and researches in theology and Book of Proverbs.

This town contains many ancient, historical, and archaeological churches, like Saint George Church which has an ancient building, 18th and 19th century icons mostly by painter Hanna Saliba, church manuscripts belonging to the 17th and 18th centuries, and some old church silver tools.

There is also the Church of Saint Mary, which dates back more than 2,000 years, as an Ancient Roman temple before the spread of Christianity.

There is also Haunt St. John the Baptist, and Haunt Forty Martyrs of Sebaste that the date of its buildings is unknown yet. There is also St. Elias that is newly built about forty years ago. The town contains many caves and archaeological sites.

There is another opinion about the history of the town that the inhabitants of the town met after they had scattered in the ruins in Kafr buhum then those areas transplanted for the benefit of all the people of the town. Then some people came to assist native people with their labour, those workers became residents of the town after they were scattered in many debris and villages such as: Kafr aldoss, Kafr Hanin, Elteara, Alamisha, Abo sensal, Abu Aram, Bo sloma, Altailbea, Aladsat, Alashr, Ancka, briRabat, Alskor, Albaka, Kaaba, Abu Hawara, Albahis, Wadi Haddad, Wadi Aljdi, Wadi Aldiab, Vion Syscon, Kafr-trodden, Altawela, Alareda, Alslykha, Almkens.

Social relations

Traditional dress of a married woman in Kafr Buhum

Inhabitants of the town have worked in commerce, agricultural and industry jobs since ancient era, and they like the inheritance Folksong and the Poetics and Prose arts. The town has its own rituals at weddings and patriotic and scriptural feasts.

People housed in clay wonderful houses at the past time, but this days they live in stone palaces.

The town annually has many small carnivals, but the most important and the largest one is Albaaoth Monday (the second Passover (Easter)day), all the Voluntary associations of the town participate in this carnival, that has many shows and more than 400 children contribute to be special annual carnival.

The town has a little too high percentage of graduates (doctors, engineers, etc.) much of these highly qualified people are expatriates (a little everywhere in the world, especially in Europe). In addition to the historical value theory of its customs and traditions, it is especially known for “white stone careers” of construction and the inhabitants work in the agriculture and in the factories. They have many lands around the town where they cultivate corn, cotton, white beets, etc.

We cannot fail to mention the great work being done by the town efforts which is Cathedral of Saint Elias, that is one of the largest churches in the Arab World, and the church (building) is individual effort of the town inhabitants. When the cathedral be fully complete it will an important moment and historical monument.

References

  1. ↑ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (Arabic)
  2. ↑ Socin, 1912, p. 371.

Bibliography

External links