Sawran, Syria
| Sawran صوران | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Sawran | |
| Coordinates: 36°33′54″N 37°12′44″E / 36.56500°N 37.21222°E | |
| Country |
 Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo Governorate |
| District | A'zaz District |
| Nahiyah | Sawran |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 6,998 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Sawran (also spelled Suran, Soran or Sawwaran) is a town 22 kilometers north of Aleppo in northern Syria. It is the administrative centre of the Nahiya Sawran in the Azaz District of the Aleppo Governorate. Nearby localities include A'zaz to the west, al-Harjalah to the north, Dabiq to the southeast, Mare' to the south and Tell Rifaat to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Sawran had a population of 6,988 in the 2004 census.[1]
The Islamist terror group ISIS took control of the town on 31 May 2015.[2]
History
Sawran's history dates back to the Iron Age when it was an Aramaean settlement in the Kingdom of Bit Adini known as "Surunu." In a military campaign against Bit Adini's king Ahuni, the Neo-Assyrian king Shalmaneser III raided and captured Surunu.[3] It later came under the rule of Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III.[4]
During the Byzantine era in Syria, Sawran was inhabited by the Arab tribe of Tanukh. Before the Muslim conquest it served an Arab Christian center and contained a fortified monastery. During early Islamic rule, Sawran was part of Jund Qinnasrin ("Military District of Chalcis"), part of the larger Bilad al-Sham province.[5]
References
- 1 2 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. (Arabic)
- ↑ "Dozens reported killed in violence across Syria". Al Jazeera. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ↑ Bryce, 2009, pp. 674-675.
- ↑ Lipinsky, 2000, pp. 210-211.
- ↑ Shahid, 2009, p. 404.
Bibliography
- Bryce, Trevor (2009). The Routledge Handbook of The People and Places of Ancient Western Asia: The Near East from the Earky Bronze Age to the fall of the Persians Empire. Routledge. ISBN 1134159080.
- Lipinsky, Edward (2000). The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion. Peeters Publishers. ISBN 9042908599.
- Shahid, Irfan (2009). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Part 2. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0884023478.
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