Al-Qusayr, Syria
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Al-Qusayr, Syria
For the city with the same name in Egypt, see Qusayr.
Coordinates: 34°30′42.72″N 36°34′35.32″E / 34.5118667°N 36.5764778°E
| Al-Qusayr القصير |
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 Al-Qusayr
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| Coordinates: 34°30′43″N 36°34′35″E / 34.51194°N 36.57639°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Homs Governorate |
| District | Al-Qusayr District |
| Elevation | 540 m (1,770 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 29,818 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
Al-Qusayr (Arabic: القصير) is a city in western Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate. It is located about 4.8 kilometers (3.0 mi) southwest of Homs and is situated in a mountainous area overlooking Syria's border with Lebanon. Al-Qusayr has an altitude of 540 meters (1,770 ft). A Muslim majority city with a significant Christian minority, it had a population of 29,818 in 2004 according to the Syrian census.[1]
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History
Al-Qusayr is the closest modern day city to the ancient walled hilltop city of Qadesh (now the ruins known as Tell Nebi Mend, (ca. 1766 ft)) named for the ancient deity Qetesh (Qetesh-goddess of beauty) and which sits north and above the plain east of the river where historians place the largest known chariot vs. chariot battle in antiquity, the Battle of Qadesh, May 1274 BCE between the forces of Ramesses II's Egypt and the Anatolian Empire of the Hittites of Muwatalli II.
Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi visited the town in the early 13th-century, during Ayyubid rule, and noted al-Qusayr had an extensive khan (caravansary) located north of Damascus and was surrounded by gardens.[2]
2011-2012 Syrian uprising
See also: Battle of Al-Qusayr
Al-Qusayr's inhabitants have largely joined the 2011-2012 Syrian uprising against the government led by the Assad family. Between the start of the rebellion in April 2011 and 13 February 2012, at least 70 residents have been killed.[3] Since November 2011, al-Qusayr has been besieged by the Syrian Army.[4] On 13 February, about 400 army soldiers and pro-government militiamen commandeered the city's main hospital and the municipal hall. There were reportedly several pro-government snipers in the city putting daily life at a standstill and the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) has established base there.[3]
The people of al-Qusayr set up a local civilians committee largely to protect minorities in the city.[3] Between 7 February-9 February, the FSA kidnapped a Christian Syrian Army corporal who they suspected was cooperating with government forces and whose family, they claimed, operated an unofficial checkpoint outside al-Qusayr to harass anti-government residents. Afterward, pro-regime residents kidnapped six Sunni Muslims from the city, killing one. This action provoked a local mob which abducted 20 Christians.[3][5] All were released in an exchange deal mediated by the local civilians committee which also stipulated the exile of the corporal and his family from al-Qusayr. On 13 February, the FSA raided and captured the city's mukhabarat (intelligence or security agency) headquarters, killing five military intelligence agents in the process.[3]
Four tanks were sent to the city, However, one of the tanks then defected to the opposition along with 30 soldiers. The FSA tank managed to take out the other three tanks, and kill 20 government soldiers, according to local fighters. The FSA then retook the town hall and hospital, and then focused on other government positions. On 25 February, the whole town was controlled by residents. Since the government sent no further reinforcements, 80 remaining government soldiers simply fled the battle scene.[6]
On April 20, Abdel Ghani Jawhar, an explosives expert and commander of the Fatah al-Islam group, detonated himself in al-Qusayr accidentally, while preparing explosive devices. He was wanted in Lebanon for 200 cases of murder, assassinations, attempted assassinations and explosive attacks.[7]
Demographics
According to Syria's Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qusayr had a population of 29,818 in 2004.[1] The BBC estimated the population to be around 40,000 in 2011-12.[5] According to the 2004 census, there were 5,304 households in the city.[1]
Most of the population follows Sunni Islam, although around 10% of the inhabitants are Christians.[3] There also a few hundred Alawite Muslims.[8]
References
- ^ a b c General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. (Arabic)
- ^ le Strange, 1890, p.489.
- ^ a b c d e f Carrasco, Mayte. Death a daily event in al-Qusayr south of Homs. Monsters and Critics: Middle East News. 2012-02-13. Retrieved on 2012-02-21.
- ^ On the Syrian frontline in al-Qusayr - In Pictures. The Guardian. 2012-02-01. Retrieved on 2012-02-21.
- ^ a b Wood, Paul. Syria's slide towards civil war. BBC News. 2012-02-12. Retrieved on 2012-02-21.
- ^ Defectors turn the tide against Assad forces. The Australian.
- ^ In Syria, Lebanon’s Most Wanted Sunni Terrorist Blows Himself Up. TIME. 2012-04-23.
- ^ Syrian town struggles under siege, awaits attack. Reuters. 2012-03-03.
Bibliography
- 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, http://www.archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft
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