Al-Haffah

Al-Haffah
الحفة
Town
Al-Haffah

Location in Syria

Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°E / 35.59861; 36.03500Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°E / 35.59861; 36.03500
Country  Syria
Governorate Latakia Governorate
District Al-Haffah District
Nahiyah Al-Haffah
Elevation 310 m (1,020 ft)
Population (2004 census)
  Town 4,298
  Metro 23,347
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Al-Haffah (Arabic: الحفة) is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located 33 kilometers east of Latakia. It is the centre of al-Haffah District, one of the four districts (mantiqah) of the Latakia Goverorate. Located at an average height of 310 meters above sea level, al-Haffa's population was 4,298 in 2004 according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Together with the surrounding villages in the al-Haffa subdistrict (nahiya) greater al-Haffa had a population of 23,347.[1] Half of the town's inhabitants are Sunni Muslim,[2] about 40% are Alawite, while Christians constitute about 10% of the population. The communities have lived together in al-Haffah for centuries.[3]

The residents of al-Haffa are largely involved in agriculture. The town produces many types of fruits such as olive, fig, pomegranate, apple and pear.

History

Al-Haffa is surrounded with mountains and located just 7 km to the west of Salah Ed-Din Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has an ancient history starting with the settlement of the Phoenicians. Later on, it became an strategic point for the invading Crusaders.

Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi visited al-Haffah in the early 13th-century, during Ayyubid rule, and noted that it was a district to the west of Halab (Aleppo), comprising many villages. The cloths called Haffiyyah come from here ..."[4]

In 1919 al-Haffah was part of the mini-revolt led by Umar al-Bitar in the Sahyun region of which al-Haffah was the center.[5] Around this time, it joined the revolt of Saleh al-Ali which was in alliance with al-Bitar.[6]

From 5 to 13 June 2012, the town was involved in the Battle of Al-Haffah as part of the Syrian uprising, during which nearly entire population fled the city.[7]

References

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.