Al-Sukhnah
Encyclopedia
Al-Sukhnah is a town in eastern Syria
under the administration of the Homs Governorate
, located between Palmyra
and ar-Raqqah. Together with its satellite villages of al-Kawm and Tayyibah, al-Sukhnah had a population of 15,000 in 1989. It has attracted hundreds of residents from nearby villages in the past century.
geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi
as "a small town in the Syrian Desert
, lying between Tadmur and Urd and Arak. Beside its spring are palm trees. It is on the road of one going to Damascus
from ar-Raqqah, and you come to it before reaching Arak." In the mid-14th century, Ibn Batuta wrote that al-Sukhnah was "a pretty town", with a mostly Christian
population. He noted that the al-Sukhnah received its name from the heat of its water, and that there were bathhouses in the town.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, al-Sukhnah served as an important trade center in the Syrian Desert among the inhabitants of nearby villages and various Bedouin
tribes. By the mid-19th-century, however, its role decreased with the rise of Deir ez-Zor. In the 20th-century until the present day, Sukhnah continues to function as a trading center between its residents and the tribes in its vicinity, such as the 'Umur and the Sba'a.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
under the administration of the Homs Governorate
Homs Governorate
Homs Governorate is one of the fourteen muhafazat of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from 40,940 km². to 42,223 km² . It is thus geographically the largest governorate of Syria. Homs Governorate has a population of 1,763,000 . The capital is...
, located between Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
and ar-Raqqah. Together with its satellite villages of al-Kawm and Tayyibah, al-Sukhnah had a population of 15,000 in 1989. It has attracted hundreds of residents from nearby villages in the past century.
History
In 1225, al-Sukhnah was described by ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yāqūt ibn-'Abdullah al-Rūmī al-Hamawī) was an Islamic biographer and geographer renowned for his encyclopedic writings on the Muslim world. "al-Rumi" refers to his Greek descent; "al-Hamawi" means that he is from Hama, Syria, and ibn-Abdullah is a reference to his father's name, Abdullah...
as "a small town in the Syrian Desert
Syrian Desert
The Syrian Desert , also known as the Syro-Arabian desert is a combination of steppe and true desert that is located in the northern Arabian Peninsula covering 200,000 square miles . also the desert is very rocky and flat...
, lying between Tadmur and Urd and Arak. Beside its spring are palm trees. It is on the road of one going to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
from ar-Raqqah, and you come to it before reaching Arak." In the mid-14th century, Ibn Batuta wrote that al-Sukhnah was "a pretty town", with a mostly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
population. He noted that the al-Sukhnah received its name from the heat of its water, and that there were bathhouses in the town.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, al-Sukhnah served as an important trade center in the Syrian Desert among the inhabitants of nearby villages and various Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
tribes. By the mid-19th-century, however, its role decreased with the rise of Deir ez-Zor. In the 20th-century until the present day, Sukhnah continues to function as a trading center between its residents and the tribes in its vicinity, such as the 'Umur and the Sba'a.