Kafr Shams
| Kafr Shams كفر شمس | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Kafr Shams | |
| Coordinates: 33°7′N 36°7′E / 33.117°N 36.117°E | |
| Grid position | 253/280 PAL |
| Country |
 Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa Governorate |
| District | Al-Sanamayn District |
| Nahiyah | Al-Sanamayn |
| Elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
| • Total | 12,435 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Kafr Shams (Arabic: كفر شمس, also spelled Kfar Shams or Kafr ash-Shams) is a small city in southern Syria administratively belonging to the Al-Sanamayn District of the Daraa Governorate. It is 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) northwest of al-Sanamayn, just east of the Golan Heights and situated between Damascus and Daraa. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics Kafr Shams had a population of 12,435.[1]
History
Kafr Shams experienced a construction boom during Byzantine Empire rule, particularly during the reign of Justinian I, mostly focused on large rural housing.[2] The town was dominated by the Ghassanids, an Arab Christian vassal kingdom of the Byzantines. The Ghassanids built a major Monophysite monastery there around 570 CE.[3]
In the 1870s Gottlieb Schumacher reported Kafr Shams had a population of 600 Muslims living in 120 to 130 huts. Ancient ruins and subterranean arches were noted in the village and the two Ghassanid monasteries were still largely intact.[4]
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War Kafr Shams was the scene of clashes between the Israeli Army and the joint forces of the Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian armies.[5]
Many of the residents of Kafr Shams have participated in protests against the Syrian government as part of the 2011-2012 Syrian uprising.[6]
References
- 1 2 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (Arabic)
- ↑ Banaji, 2007, p. 17
- ↑ Shahid, 2002, p. 203
- ↑ Schumacher, 1897, p. 194
- ↑ Thompson, p.235.
- ↑ Syrians protest amid reports of army push on Deraa. The Daily Telegraph. 2012-03-05.
Bibliography
- Banaji, Jairus (2007). Agrarian Change in Late Antiquity: Gold, Labour, and Aristocratic Dominance. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199226032.
- Schumacher, Gottlieb (1897). "Notes from Jedur". Quarterly statement - Palestine Exploration Fund 29: 190–195.
- 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.
See also
External links
- Map of town, Google Maps
- Sanameine-map, 19L
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