Al-Ziyarah ( ar, الزيارة, also spelled Zeyareh) is a town in northern

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 ...

, administratively part of the

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ...

, located 75 kilometers northwest of

Hama , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = EEST , utc_offset_DST = +3 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , ar ...

. It is situated in the Ghab plain, on the eastern bank of the

Orontes River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Asi ( ar, العاصي, , ; tr, Asi) is a river with a length of in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Turkey. ...

.Lipinsky, 2000, p. 276. Nearby localities include Qarqur 7 kilometers to the north,

Sirmaniyah Sirmaniyah ( ar, سرمانية ''Sirmāniyah'', also spelled ''Sarmania'', ''al-Sarmaniyah'', ''Sermaniye'') is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Jisr al-Shughu ...

to the northwest,

Qastun Qastun ( ar, قسطون), also spelled Kastun or Kustun, is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama and 35 kilometers southwest of Idlib. It is situated in the Ghab plain, on the eastern ...

to the east and

Farikah Farikah ( ar, فريكة, also spelled Frikka, Freike, Freikeh or Furaykah) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located north of Hama. It is situated in the Ghab plain. Nearby localities include Shathah a ...

Khirbet al-Arus The glossary of Arabic toponyms gives translations of Arabic terms commonly found as components in Arabic toponyms. A significant number of them were put together during the PEF Survey of Palestine carried out in the second half of the 19th cent ...

and

al-Amqiyah Tahta Al-Amqiyah al-Tahta ( ar, العمقية تحتا) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. It is situated in the Ghab plain Nearby localities include al-Huwash to the south, Nabl a ...

to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Ziyarah had a population of 3,541 in the 2004 census. It is also the center of the

Al-Ziyarah Nahiyah Al-Ziyarah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية الزيارة) is a Syrian ''nahiyah'' (subdistrict) located in Al-Suqaylabiyah District in Hama. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Ziyarah Subdistrict had a population of 38,87 ...

("subdistrict"), part of the Al-Suqaylabiyah District, consisting of 25 localities and with a combined population of 38,872 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate.

History

Al-Ziyarah has been identified as the ancient Aramaean city of "Ziara," which was part of the

Hamath , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = EEST , utc_offset_DST = +3 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , ar ...

kingdom. The name ''al-Ziyarah'' is Arabic for "visiting place." Al-Ziyarah receives its name from a double-domed shrine located in the town. The dome is white and surrounded by oak trees. It has a view over the surrounding plain and the Nusayriyah Mountain range.Lyde, Samuel.
The Asian Mystery Illustrated in the History, Religion, and Present State of the Ansaireeh or Nusairis of Syria
'. Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts: (1860). Prior to 1960 the ''nahiyah'' of al-Ziyarah was part of the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة ادلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama ...

, after which it became a part of the Hama Governorate. In 1970 the average household in al-Ziyarah consisted of nearly nine members. An irrigation project for 17,400 hectares in the al-Ziyarah area was started in 1990. The project was completed with the construction of the

Zeyzoun Dam The Zeyzoun Dam is a failed embankment dam near Zayzun, Hama Governorate, Syria. It impounded water pumped from the nearby Orontes River. The dam was completed in 1996 and its primary purpose was the irrigation of about . The dam's reservoir was ...

in 1995. On 4 June 2002 the dam collapsed causing mass flooding in the area. Five towns, including al-Ziyarah, saw hundreds of homes either destroyed or severely damaged, prompting the Syrian government to request urgent international aid. Out of a total of ten people killed, five, including two women, two children and an employee of the dam, were residents of al-Ziyarah. On 5 November 2012, during the ongoing Syrian Civil War between the Syrian government and opposition rebels, a car bomb exploded outside a government-run development agency in al-Ziyarah. While state media claimed two people were killed and 10 injured, opposition activists claimed the attack left 50 Syrian soldiers and pro-government militiamen dead.Several killed in Syria car bombings
'' BBC News''. 2012-11-05.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziyarah Populated places in al-Suqaylabiyah District Towns in Syria Populated places in al-Ghab Plain