Ma'ariya
Ma'ariya
معرية Umm Sharq | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Ma'ariya Location within Syria | |
| Coordinates: 32°45′51″N 35°47′54″E / 32.76417°N 35.79833°E | |
| Grid position | 224/241 PAL |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa |
| District | Daraa |
| Subdistrict | Shajara |
| Control |  Israel |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 1,083 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
Ma'ariya (Arabic: معرية, romanized: Ma'ariya, also transliterated Ma'ari), also known as Umm Sharq, is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located west of Daraa. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Ma'ariya had a population of 1,083 in the 2004 census.[1]
History
[edit]Ottoman period
[edit]In 1596 Ma'ariya appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jawlan Sharqi in the Qada of Hauran. It had an all Muslim population consisting of 5 households. A fixed tax−rate of 25% was paid on wheat (450 akçe), barley (180 a.), summer crops (70 a.), goats and/or beehives (50 a.), in addition to taxes occasional revenues (50 a.); a total of 900 akçe.[2]
In 1884, American archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher described Ma'ariya (which he spelled 'M'arri') as an "uninhabited spot, where there are scattered ruins of considerable extent, but no remains of archaeological interest".[3] He noted it laid just east of Arqub al-Rahwa, which called the presumed Biblical Argob, and that both sites were built on the same hill shoulder. The name 'M'arri' was that of a Muslim saintly figure buried in a close-by cavernous area underneath a terebinth tree. Bedouins from the local Manadhira tribe grew tobacco, grain and vegetables on the slopes by the site.[3]
Invasion by Israel
[edit]In December 2024, Israel invaded further into Syria. On 19 December, it was reported that the Israeli military prevented Syrian farmers in Ma'ariya from accessing their fields.[4] In May 2026, reports said Israeli forces restricted access in Ma'ariya by preventing residents from entering agricultural land and designating it as a "restricted zone."[5] In July 2026, Israeli forces again advanced along the road leading to Ma'ariya and opened fire in the area.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "General Census of Population 2004". Retrieved 2014-07-10.
- ↑ Hütteroth & Abdulfattah 1977, p. 197.
- 1 2 Schumacher 1886, p. 83.
- ↑ Alsayed, Ghaith; Malla, Hussein (2024-12-19). "Syrian villagers near the Golan Heights say Israeli forces are banning them from their fields". AP News. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ↑ "With force and humiliation | Israeli forces prevent residents of Ma'ariya from entering their agricultural lands in Hawd Al-Yarmouk". SOHR. 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Israeli occupation forces open fire, advance into western Daraa countryside". SANA. 27 July 2026.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
- Schumacher, G. (1886). Across the Jordan: Being an Exploration and Survey of part of Hauran and Jaulan. London: Richard Bentley and Son.
External links
[edit]Capital: Daraa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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