Deir al-Salib (Arabic: دير الصليب, also spelled Deir al-Sleib or Deir al-Suleib) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 37 kilometers west of Hama. Nearby localities include Bil'in to the southeast, al-Rabiaa to the east, Asilah to the northeast, Jubb Ramlah to the north, al-Laqbah and Deir Mama to the northwest, Masyaf to the west, al-Suwaydah to the southwest and Baarin and Aqrab to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Deir al-Salib had a population of 2,946 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites and Greek Orthodox Christians.[2]
Deir al-Salib
دير الصليب Deir al-Sleib | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Deir al-Salib Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 35°05′10″N 36°26′50″E / 35.086133°N 36.447229°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Masyaf |
| Subdistrict | Masyaf |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 2,946 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
History
editIn the early 19th-century the Ottoman governor of Damascus, Abdullah Pasha al-Azm, granted the leaseholds of Deir al-Salib and its satellite farms to a close associate of his, Muhammad Gharib Bey al-Azm.[3]
Byzantine church
editJust outside Deir al-Salib is a 5th-6th century Byzantine-era church surrounded by fig trees.[4] It is built in the architectural style typical of the Justinian period in Syria, with its two chapels.[5] Its stone walls have a beige and ochre color. At the right of the entrance is a baptistery which still contains a cross-shaped baptismal. The narthex of the church is preceded by a central atrium and five columns demarcate its aisles. The apse is semi-circular and on the ground floor stands a gallery reserved for women. A small mausoleum containing three sarcophagi is situated at the side of the baptistery. The sarcophagi had engraved medallions that fitted crosses.[4]
References
edit- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ Smith, in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 180
- ^ Douwes, 2000, p. 170.
- ^ a b Michelin, 2011, p. 216.
- ^ Association internationale pour l'étude de la mosaïque antique, Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics, Betty Morgan May Memorial Fund (1995). Fifth International Colloquium on Ancient Mosaics: Held at Bath, England on September 5-12, 1987. Journal of Roman Archaeology. ISBN 9781887829007.
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Bibliography
edit- Douwes, Dick (2000). The Ottomans in Syria: A History of Justice and Oppression. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1860640311.
- Michelin (2011). Syrie Jordanie. Michelin. ISBN 978-2067154322.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.