Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen
governorates
A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
(provinces) of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It is located in the far north-east corner of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water, natural environment, and more than one hundred archaeological sites. It was formerly known as
Al-Jazira Province. Prior to the
Syrian Civil War nearly half of Syria's oil was extracted from the region.
It is the lower part of
Upper Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the Upland and lowland, uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, ...
.
Geography
![Al-Jazira](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Al-Jazira.svg)
During the Abbasid era, the area that makes this province used to be part of the
Diyar Rabi'a
Diyar Rabi'a ( ar, دِيَارُ رَبِيعَةَ, Diyār Rabīʿa, abode of Rabi'a) is the medieval Arabic name of the easternmost and largest of the three provinces of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), the other two being Diyar Bakr and Diyar ...
administrative unit, corresponding to the southern part of
Upper Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the Upland and lowland, uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, ...
. Kurdistan did not include the lands of Syrian Jazira.
The
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
' putative Kurdistan did not include any part of today's Syria.
Political history
The French, following the Ottoman policies which encouraged the nomadic tribes to become sedentary, established several villages and towns since the beginning of their rule.
Hasakah
Al-Hasakah ( ar, ٱلْحَسَكَة, al-Ḥasaka; ku, Heseke/حەسەکە; syr, ܚܣܝܟܐ Hasake), is the capital city of the Al-Hasakah Governorate, in the northeastern corner of Syria. With a 2004 census population of 188,160, it is the e ...
was founded in 1922,
Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo) in 1926. In the late 1930s a small but vigorous separatist movement emerged in Qamishli. With some support from
French Mandate
The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...
authorities, the movement actively lobbied for autonomy directly under French rule and its separation from Syria on the ground that the majority of the inhabitants were not Arabs. Syrian nationalists saw the movement as a profound threat to their eventual rule. The Syrian nationalists allied with local
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
Shammar tribal leader and Kurdish tribes. They together attacked the Christian movement in many towns and villages. Local Kurdish tribes who were allies of
Shammar
The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...
tribe sacked and burned the Assyrian (Syriac) town of Amuda. In 1941, the Assyrian (Syriac) community of
al-Malikiyah
Al-Malikiyah ( ar, ٱلْمَالِكِيَّة, al-Mālikīyah; ku, دێرکا حەمکۆ, translit=Dêrika Hemko; ) also known as Derik, is a small Syrian city and the center of an administrative district belonging to Al-Hasakah Governorate. ...
was subjected to a vicious assault. Even though the assault failed, Assyrians (Syriacs) felt threatened and left in large numbers, and the immigration of Kurds from Turkey to the area converted al-Malikiya,
al-Darbasiyah
Al-Dirbasiyah ( ar, ٱلدَّرْبَاسِيَّة, ad-Dirbāsīyah, ku, دربێسی, Dirbêsiyê) is a Syrian town on the Syria–Turkey border opposite the Turkish town of Şenyurt. Administratively it is part of the Al-Hasakah Governorate ...
and
Amuda
Amuda ( ar, عَامُودَا, ʿĀmūdā, ku, ئاموودێ, Amûdê) is a town in Al Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria close to the Syria–Turkey border. As a result of the ongoing civil war, Amuda is currently under the civil co ...
to Kurdish-majority cities.
Between 1932 and 1939, a Kurdish-Assyrian autonomy movement emerged in Jazira. The demands of the movement were autonomous status similar to the
Sanjak of Alexandretta
The Sanjak of Alexandretta ( ar, لواء الإسكندرونة '', '' tr, İskenderun Sancağı, french: Sandjak d'Alexandrette) was a sanjak of the Mandate of Syria composed of two qadaas of the former Aleppo Vilayet ( Alexandretta and Antio ...
, the protection of French troops, promotion of Kurdish language in schools and hiring of Kurdish officials. The movement was led by Michel Dome, mayor of Qamishli, Hanna Hebe, general vicar for the Syriac-Catholic Patriarch of Jazira, and the Kurdish notable Hajo Agha. Some Arab tribes supported the autonomists while others sided with the central government. In the legislative elections of 1936, autonomist candidates won all the parliamentary seats in Jazira and Jarabulus, while the nationalist Arab movement known as the National Bloc won the elections in the rest of Syria. After victory, the National Bloc pursued an aggressive policy toward the autonomists. In July 1937, armed conflict broke out between the Syrian police and the supporters of the movement. As a result, the governor and a significant portion of the police force fled the region and the rebels established local autonomous administration in Jazira. In August 1937 a number of Assyrians in Amuda were killed by a pro-Damascus Kurdish chief. In September 1938, Hajo Agha chaired a general conference in Jazira and appealed to France for self-government. The new French High Commissioner, Gabriel Puaux, dissolved parliament and created autonomous administrations for Jabal Druze, Latakia and Jazira in 1939 which lasted until 1943.
Economy
The Governorate has a decade long history of farming. Already in 1921, the French wanted to develop the agricultural sector and over a feasibility study of the ''Union Economique de Syrie'' the region was seen profitable for the cotton production. With the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1939, the agricultural expansion grew significantly.
When the USA instated a control on cotton exports during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the cotton production in the province increased eightfold.
By 1960s, the province had the second largest amount of cultivated land in Syria per capita, but was still the lowest in terms of cultivable land per capita.
Other economic branches are wheat and oil.
Before the eruption of the Syrian Civil the province accounted for about half of the Syrian oil production.
Demographics
Al-Hasakah Governorate's ethnic groups include
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
,
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
,
syriac-aramaic Christians (
Assyrians),
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
and
Yazidis
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking Endogamy, endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran ...
. The majority of the Arabs and Kurds in the region are
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Muslim. Between 20 and 30% of the people of Al-Hasakeh city are Christians of various churches and denominations (majority
Syriac Orthodox
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
).
Until the beginning of the 20th century, al-Hasakah Governorate (then called Jazira province) was a “no man’s land” primarily reserved for the grazing land of nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.
[Algun, S., 2011]
Sectarianism in the Syrian Jazira: Community, land and violence in the memories of World War I and the French mandate (1915- 1939)
. Ph.D. Dissertation. Universiteit Utrecht, the Netherlands. Pages 18. Accessed on 8 December 2019. During the late days of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, large
Kurdish-speaking tribal groups both settled in and were deported to areas of northern Syria from
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
. The largest of these tribal groups was the Reshwan confederation, which was initially based in
Adıyaman Province
Adıyaman Province ( tr, , ku, ) is a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The capital is Adıyaman. The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority.
Adıyaman Province was part of the provi ...
but eventually also settled throughout Anatolia. The Milli confederation, mentioned in 1518 onward, was the most powerful group and dominated the entire northern
Syrian steppe in the second half of the 18th century. Danish writer
C. Niebuhr who
traveled to Jazira in 1764 recorded five nomadic Kurdish tribes (Dukurie, Kikie, Schechchanie, Mullie and Aschetie) and six Arab tribes (Tay, Kaab, Baggara, Geheish, Diabat and Sherabeh). According to Niebuhr, the Kurdish tribes were settled near
Mardin in Turkey, and paid the governor of that city for the right to graze their herds in the Syrian Jazira.
The Kurdish tribes gradually settled in villages and cities and are still present in the modern governorate).
The demographics of northern Syria saw a huge shift in the early part of the 20th century when the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...
) conducted ethnic cleansing of its Armenian and Assyrian Christian populations and some Kurdish tribes joined in the atrocities committed against them.
Many Assyrians fled to Syria during the genocide and settled mainly in the Jazira area.
During
WWI
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and subsequent years, thousands of Assyrians fled their homes in Anatolia after massacres. After that, massive waves of Kurds fled their homes in Turkey due to conflict with Kemalist authorities and settled in Syria, where they were granted citizenship by the
French Mandate authorities.
The number of Kurds settled in the Jazira province during the 1920s was estimated at 20,000 people.
Starting in 1926, the region witnessed another huge immigration wave of Kurds following the failure of the
Sheikh Said rebellion against the
Turkish authorities. Tens of thousands of Kurds fled their homes in Turkey and settled in Syria, and as usual, were granted citizenship by the French mandate authorities.
This large influx of
Kurds moved to Syria's Jazira province. It is estimated that 25,000 Kurds fled at this time to Syria.
The French official reports show the existence of at most 45 Kurdish villages in Jazira prior to 1927. A new wave of refugees arrived in 1929.
The mandatory authorities continued to encourage Kurdish immigration into Syria, and by 1939, the villages numbered between 700 and 800.
French authorities were not opposed to the streams of Assyrians, Armenians or Kurds who, for various reasons, had left their homes and had found refuge in Syria. The French authorities themselves generally organized the settlement of the refugees. One of the most important of these plans was carried out in Upper Jazira in northeastern Syria where the French built new towns and villages (such as Qamishli) were built with the intention of housing the refugees considered to be “friendly”. This has encouraged the non-Turkish minorities that were under Turkish pressure to leave their ancestral homes and property, they could find refuge and rebuild their lives in relative safety in neighboring Syria.
[Tachjian Vahé]
The expulsion of non-Turkish ethnic and religious groups from Turkey to Syria during the 1920s and early 1930s
Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence, nline published on: 5 March 2009, accessed 09/12/2019, ISSN 1961-9898 Consequently, the border areas in al-Hasakah Governorate started to have a Kurdish majority, while Arabs remained the majority in river plains and elsewhere.
[La Djezireh syrienne et son réveil économique. André Gibert, Maurice Févret, 1953]
La Djezireh syrienne et son réveil économique
In: Revue de géographie de Lyon, vol. 28, n°1, 1953. pp. 1-15; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/geoca.1953.1294 Accessed on 8 December 2019.
In 1939,
French mandate
The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...
authorities reported the following population numbers for the different ethnic and religious groups in al-Hasakah governorate.
[Algun, S., 2011]
Sectarianism in the Syrian Jazira: Community, land and violence in the memories of World War I and the French mandate (1915- 1939)
. Ph.D. Dissertation. Universiteit Utrecht, the Netherlands. Pages 11-12. Accessed on 8 December 2019.
The population of the governorate reached 155,643 in 1949, including about 60,000 Kurds.
These continuous waves swelled the number of Kurds in the area who represented 30% of the Jazira population in a 1939 French authorities census.
In 1953, French geographers Fevret and Gibert estimated that out of the total 146,000 inhabitants of Jazira, agriculturalist Kurds made up 60,000 (41%), semi-sedentary and nomad Arabs 50,000 (34%), and a quarter of the population were Christians.
Censuses of 1943 and 1953
Among the Sunni Muslims, mostly Kurds and Arabs, there were about 1,500
Circassians
The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia in ...
in 1938.
Current demographics
The inhabitants of al-Hasakah governorate are composed of different ethnic and cultural groups, the larger groups being
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
and
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
in addition to a significant large number of Assyrians and a smaller number of
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
. The population of the governorate, according to the country's official census, was 1,275,118, and was estimated to be 1,377,000 in 2007, and 1,512,000 in 2011.
According to the National Association of Arab Youth, there are 1717 villages in Al-Hasakah province: 1161 Arab villages, 453 Kurdish villages, 98 Assyrian villages and 53 with mixed populations from the aforementioned ethnicities.
Today, Arabs comprise the largest demographic group and mostly live in the city of al-Hasaka and its south and east countryside, with smaller presence in the north and west countryside. Kurds are the second largest group, with thousands living in villages and towns in the north, northeast, and northwest countryside. Assyrians live mostly in the north and northeast regions of al-Hasaka, especially in
Tell Tamer
Tell Tamer ( ar, تَلّ تَمْر, Tall Tamr, ku, گرێ خورما, Girê Xurma or Til Temir, syr, ܬܠ ܬܡܪ) also known as Tal Tamr or Tal Tamir, is a town in western al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. It is the administrative c ...
but also in Qamishli and
al-Malikiyah
Al-Malikiyah ( ar, ٱلْمَالِكِيَّة, al-Mālikīyah; ku, دێرکا حەمکۆ, translit=Dêrika Hemko; ) also known as Derik, is a small Syrian city and the center of an administrative district belonging to Al-Hasakah Governorate. ...
.In 2013 there was en estimated 200,000
Assyrians in Hasakah province
Cities, towns and villages
This list includes all cities, towns and villages with more than 5,000 inhabitants. The population figures are given according to the 2004 official census:
Districts and sub-districts
The governorate is divided into four
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(
manatiq
Minṭaqah ( ; plural ''manāṭiq'' ) is a first-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia and Chad and for a second-level administrative division in several other Arab countries. It is often translated as ''region'' or ''district'', but the ...
). The districts are further divided into 16 sub-districts (
nawahi):
*
Al-Hasakah District
Al-Hasakah District ( ar, منطقة الحسكة, manṭiqat al-Ḥasaka) is a district of al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria. The administrative centre for the district is the city of al-Hasakah
Al-Hasakah ( ar, ٱلْحَسَكَة ...
(7 sub-districts)
**
Bir al-Helou al-Wardiya Subdistrict
Bir al-Helou al-Wardiya Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية بئر الحلو الوردية) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the municipality of Bir al-Helou ...
**
Al-Hawl Subdistrict
Al-Hawl Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية الهول) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. Administrative centre is the town of al-Hawl.
The subdistrict is located east of al-Hasakah. It b ...
**
Al-Hasakah Subdistrict
Al-Hasakah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية مركز الحسكة) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in central al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of al-Hasakah. It has a mixed population of Ku ...
**
Tell Tamer Subdistrict
**
Al-Arishah Subdistrict
Al-Arishah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية العريشة) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The Administrative centre is the town of al-Arishah. At the 2004 census, the subdistrict ha ...
**
Al-Shaddadah Subdistrict
Al-Shaddadah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية الشدادي) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in southern al-Hasakah Governorate
Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, ...
**
Markada Subdistrict
Markada Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية مركدة) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The Administrative centre is the city of Markada.
At the 2004 census, the subdistrict had a popul ...
*
Al-Malikiyah District
al-Malikiyah District ( ar, منطقة المالكية, mantiqah, manṭiqat al-Mālikiyah) is a Districts of Syria, district of al-Hasakah Governorate in eastern Rojava, Syria. The administrative centre is the city of al-Malikiyah.
al-Malikiyah ...
(3 sub-districts)
**
Al-Malikiyah Subdistrict
**
Al-Yaarubiyah Subdistrict
**
Al-Jawadiyah Subdistrict
*
Qamishli District
Qamishli District ( ar, منطقة القامشلي, manṭiqat al-Qāmišlī) is a district of al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qām ...
(4 sub-districts)
**
Al-Qahtaniyah Subdistrict
Al-Qahtaniyah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية القحطانية) is a subdistrict of Qamishli District in northeastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the town of al-Qahtaniyah.
At the 2004 census, the ...
**
Tell Hamis Subdistrict
Tell Hamis Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية تل حميظ) is a subdistrict of Qamishli District in northeastern al-Hasakah Governorate
Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, ...
**
Qamishli Subdistrict
Qamishli Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية مركز القامشلي) is a subdistrict of Qamishli District in northeastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of Qamishli.
At the 2004 census, the subdistr ...
**
Amuda Subdistrict
Amuda Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية عامودا) is a subdistrict of Qamishli District in northeastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. Administrative centre is the town Amuda.
At the 2004 census, the subdistrict had a population of ...
*
Ras al-Ayn District
Ras al-Ayn District ( ar, منطقة رأس العين, manṭiqat Raʾs al-ʿAyn) is a district of al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Ras al-Ayn.
At the 2004 census, the district had a populat ...
(2 sub-districts)
**
Ras al-Ayn Subdistrict
Ras al-Ayn Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية مركز رأس العين) is a subdistrict of Ras al-Ayn District in western al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Ras al-Ayn. In 1907, Mark Sykes mentio ...
**
Al-Darbasiyah Subdistrict
Al-Darbasiyah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية الدرباسية) is a subdistrict of Ras al-Ayn District in northern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of al-Darbasiyah.
At the 2004 census, the subdi ...
Archaeology
The
Khabur River, which flows through al-Hasakah for , witnessed the birth of some of the earliest civilizations in the world, including those of
Akkad Akkad may refer to:
*Akkad (city), the capital of the Akkadian Empire
*Akkadian Empire, the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia
*Akkad SC, Iraqi football club
People with the name
*Abbas el-Akkad, Egyptian writer
*Abdulrahman Akkad, Syrian LGBT act ...
,
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
,
Aram
Aram may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Aram'' (film), 2002 French action drama
* Aram, a fictional character in Japanese manga series '' MeruPuri''
* Aram Quartet, an Italian music group
* ''Aram'' (Kural book), the first of the three ...
, the
Hurrians
The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Northern Mes ...
and
Amorites
The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian language, Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic-speaking people ...
. The most prominent archaeological sites are:
*
Hamoukar
Hamoukar ( ar, حموكار) is a large archaeological site located in the Jazira region of northeastern Syria (Al Hasakah Governorate), near the Iraqi and Turkish borders. The early settlement dates back to the 5th millennium BCE, and it exist ...
:considered by some archaeologists to be the oldest city in the world
*
Tell Halaf
Tell Halaf ( ar, تل حلف) is an archaeological site in the Al Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, a few kilometers from the city of Ra's al-'Ayn near the Turkish border. The site, which dates to the 6th millennium BCE, was the firs ...
: Excavations have revealed successive civilization levels, Neolithic glazed pottery and basalt sculptures.
*
Tell Brak
Tell Brak (Nagar, Nawar) was an ancient city in Syria; its remains constitute a tell located in the Upper Khabur region, near the modern village of Tell Brak, 50 kilometers north-east of Al-Hasaka city, Al-Hasakah Governorate. The city' ...
: Situated halfway between al-Hasakah city and the frontier town of Qamishli. Excavations in the tell have revealed the Uyun Temple and King
Naram-Sin's palace-stronghold.
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Tell el Fakhariya
Tell Fekheriye ( ar, تل الفخيرية) (often spelled as Tell el-Fakhariya or Tell Fecheriye, among other variants) is an ancient site in the Khabur River basin in the Al Hasakah Governorate of northern Syria. It is securely identified a ...
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Tell Hittin: 15 layers of occupation have been identified.
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Tell Leilan
Tell Leilan is an archaeological site situated near the Wadi Jarrah in the Khabur River basin in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The site has been occupied since the 5th millennium BC. During the late third millennium, the site wa ...
: Excavations began in 1975 and have revealed many artefacts and buildings dating back to the
6th millennium BC
The 6th millennium BC spanned the years 6000 BC to 5001 BC (c. 8 ka to c. 7 ka). It is impossible to precisely date events that happened around the time of this millennium and all dates mentioned here are estimates mostly based on geological an ...
such as a bazaar, temple, palace, etc.
Notes
References
External links
ehasakehThe First Complete website for Al-Hasakah news and services
{{Authority control
Governorates of Syria
Assyrian geography
Upper Mesopotamia