Al-Thawrah
Al-Thawrah
ٱلثَّوْرَة | |
|---|---|
 Al-Thawrah in 1995 | |
  Al-Thawrah Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 35°50′12″N 38°32′53″E / 35.83667°N 38.54806°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Raqqa |
| District | al-Thawrah |
| Subdistrict | al-Thawrah |
| Control |  Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria |
| Elevation | 328 m (1,076 ft) |
| Population (2004 census) | |
• Total | 69,425 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Thawrah (Arabic: ٱلثَّوْرَة, romanized: ad-Ṭhawrah), also known as Al-Tabqah (Arabic: ٱلطَّبْقَة, romanized: aṭ-Ṭabaqah),[1] is a city in Raqqa Governorate, Syria, approximately 55 kilometres (34 mi) west of Raqqa. Al-Thawrah was the original name the settlement, which up until the 1960s had been relatively small.[2] The city had a population of 69,425 as of the 2004 census.[3] It is part of the Tabqa Region of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.[4]
Etymology
[edit]The name "al-Thawrah" literally means "The Revolution", in reference to the Baathist March 8th revolution in 1963.[4]
History
[edit]Syrian civil war
[edit]
On 26 November 2012, during the Syrian civil war, a main route from Raqqa to Aleppo passing through al-Talwrah along the Euphrates was dotted with both government and Syrian rebel checkpoints.[5] On 11 February 2013, rebel groups including the al-Nusra Front and Liwa Owais al-Qorani took over the city.[6] On 21 November, there was fierce fighting between government troops and rebels in the town,[7] but by 25 November, the rebels were back in control.
In January 2014, The Islamic State took control of the city.[8] During ISIL rule, the town's Catholic, Antiochian Orthodox Church and Assyrian Church of the East churches were turned into a parking garage, a weapons factory and a barn, with ISIL militants destroying all Christian symbols on the three churches. The Shia Al Zahraa' Mosque was destroyed and an Ismaili place of worship was turned into a children's training centre.[9] In addition, high ranking IS members would reside in the city, to escape the bombardments on its capital Raqqa.
On 22 March 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces began the Battle of Tabqa to retake the city, as the international coalition assisted by conducting airstrikes. SOHR reported that the airstrikes killed or injured more than 40 people,[10] while the BBC reported 27 killed and 40 wounded.[11] On May 10, 2017, the SDF successfully recaptured the city,[12][13] during which an estimated 40% of the buildings were either damaged or destroyed.[14]
Demographics
[edit]Prior to the Civil War, the majority of the city's inhabitants were Sunni Arabs, with Kurdish, Armenian, Assyrian as well as Ismaili and Shiite Arab minorities.[15] The Assyrian minority consisted of around 1,000 people, with about half belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East, originating from the Khabour River villages, and the other half being Syriac Orthodox Christians, along with a few Chaldean Catholic, Syriac Catholic and Protestant families.[16] But now the Christians have left and very few returned after liberation.[17]
Geography
[edit]The Tabqa Dam and Lake Assad on the Euphrates, an important energy source for Syria, are near the town.[14]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Al-Thawrah | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
13.8 (56.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
30.3 (86.5) |
35.1 (95.2) |
37.7 (99.9) |
37.7 (99.9) |
34.2 (93.6) |
27.9 (82.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
11.9 (53.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
19.6 (67.3) |
12.8 (55.0) |
7.5 (45.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
5.4 (41.7) |
9.4 (48.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
20.4 (68.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
11.3 (52.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
2.3 (36.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 37 (1.5) |
24 (0.9) |
34 (1.3) |
25 (1.0) |
15 (0.6) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.0) |
10 (0.4) |
18 (0.7) |
32 (1.3) |
196 (7.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org [18] | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "At Tabqah: Syria " Geographical Names
- ^ Al-Jeloo, Dr. Nicholas (2 August 2013). "Stranded: the Forgotten Assyrians of Al-Thawrah, Syria". www.aina.org. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200124185441/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB11-8-2004.htm Al-Thawrah population]
- ^ a b "Beyond Rojava: North and East Syria's Arab Regions" (PDF). Rojava Information Center. June 2021. p. 9.
- ^ "Syria rebels seize dam". AAP. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ "Rebels take control of military airport in North Syria, NGO says". Now.mmedia.me. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Fierce Syria clashes on Lebanese border force government to launch tighter border policies". Al Bawaba. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ Diaa Hadid (5 January 2014). "Syrian rebels battle Al-Qaeda-linked fighters". The Daily Star.
- ^ "IS eliminated all Shiites, Christians and Ismailis belongings | ANHA". Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ ""More than 40 casualties, wounded and missing in a new massacre carried out by international coalition's warplanes in Tabaqa city". syriahr.com. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "IS conflict: US airlift backs new assault near Raqqa stronghold". bbc.co.uk. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ "US-backed Syrian forces 'fully capture' Tabqa from ISIL". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "US-backed forces seize Syria's Tabqa, dam from ISIS". Agence-France Presse. Al Arabiya. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b Fergus, Kelly (12 September 2017). "Tabqa Schools Reopen for Syrian Children Despite Ongoing War". The Globe Post. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "IS Eliminated All Shiites, Christians and Ismailis Belongings". Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ "Stranded: the Forgotten Assyrians of Al-Tharwah, Syria". Assyrian International News Agency. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ "Will Raqqa's church bells ring again?". Syria Direct. 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024.
Among the reasons why many Christians have not returned to Raqqa and other cities in the province, such as Tabqa, is that "SDF-affiliated factions have prevented them from returning to their homes, with the Northern Democratic Brigade currently controlling the homes of Christians in Tabqa," Murad said.
- ^ "Climate: Al-Thawrah". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
