Al-Haffah

Al-Haffah (Arabic: الحفة‎) is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located 33 kilometres (21 miles) 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 metres (1,020 feet) 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]

Al-Haffah

الحفة
Town
Al-Haffah
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E
Country Syria
GovernorateLatakia Governorate
DistrictAl-Haffah District
NahiyahAl-Haffah
Elevation
310 m (1,020 ft)
Population
 (2004 census)
 • Town4,298
 • Metro
23,347
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

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 a 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
  1. General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Latakia Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. Morris, Loveday. Fears grow of new massacre as UN warns of civil war in Syria. The Independent. 2012-06-13. Retrieved on 2012-06-13.
  3. Balanche, 2006, p. 88.
  4. le Strange, 1890, p. 445.
  5. Choueiri, 1993, p. 19.
  6. Moosa, 1987, p. 283.
  7. The ghost town of Syria: Haunting pictures from the place abandoned by 26,000 as it was shelled to smithereens

Bibliography
  • Balanche, Fabrice (2006). La région alaouite et le pouvoir syrien (in French). Karthala Editions. ISBN 2845868189.
  • Choueiri, Youssef M. (1993). State and society in Syria and Lebanon. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 085989410X.
  • Moosa, Matti (1987). Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-2411-5.
  • le Strange, Guy (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
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