Azaz ( ar, أَعْزَاز, ʾAʿzāz) is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of
Aleppo. According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 in the 2004 census.
[General Census of Population and Housing 2004](_blank)
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. , its inhabitants were almost entirely
Sunni Muslims, mostly
Arabs
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, ...
but also some
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 Ira ...
and
Turkmen.
It is historically significant as the site of the
Battle of Azaz between the
Crusader States and the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
on June 11, 1125. It is close to a
Syria–Turkey border crossing, which enters Turkey at
Öncüpınar
Öncüpınar, also called Tipil or Tibil and historically known as Tubbal, is a village in Kilis Province, Turkey, on the border with Syria. It lies south of the city of Kilis, and north of the Syrian town of Azaz. Öncüpınar's postal code is ...
, south of the city of
Kilis. It is the capital of the
Syrian Interim Government.
History
The city was known in ancient times with different names: in
Hurrian
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 ...
as ''Azazuwa'', in
Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Fall of Co ...
as Αζάζιον (''Azázion''), in
Old Aramaic
Old Aramaic refers to the earliest stage of the Aramaic language, known from the Aramaic inscriptions discovered since the 19th century.
Emerging as the language of the city-states of the Arameans in the Levant in the Early Iron Age, Old Aramaic ...
as ''Ḥzz'' (later evolved in
Neo-Assyrian
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the fourth and penultimate stage of ancient Assyrian history and the final and greatest phase of Assyria as an independent state. Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew t ...
as ''Ḫazazu'').
Early Islamic period
In excavations of the site of Tell Azaz, considerable quantities of ceramics from the early and middle Islamic periods were found.
[Eger, p. 88.] Despite the importance of Azaz as indicated by archaeological finds, the settlement was rarely mentioned in Islamic texts prior to the 12th century. However, a visit to the town by the Muslim musician
Ishaq al-Mawsili
Ishaq al-Mawsili ( ar, إسحاق الموصلي; 767/772 – March 850) was an Arab musician of Persian origin active as a composer, singer, music theorist and writer on music. The leading musician of his time in the Abbasid Caliphate, he served ...
(767–850) gives some indication of Azaz's importance during
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
rule.
The
Hamdanids
The Hamdanid dynasty ( ar, الحمدانيون, al-Ḥamdāniyyūn) was a Twelver Shia Arab dynasty of Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib Christian tribe of Mesopotamia and Eastern A ...
of
Aleppo (945–1002) built a brick citadel at Azaz.
[Bylinsky 2004, p. 161.] It was a square fortress with two enclosures, situated atop a
tell.
[Deschamps 1973, p. 343.]
On 10 August 1030, Tubbal near Azaz became the scene of a
humiliating defeat of the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
emperor
Romanos III
Romanos III Argyros ( el, Ρωμανός Αργυρός; Latinized Romanus III Argyrus; 968 – 11 April 1034), or Argyropoulos was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople whe ...
at the hands of the
Mirdasids
The Mirdasid dynasty ( ar, المرداسيون, al-Mirdāsiyyīn), also called the Banu Mirdas, was an Arab dynasty which ruled an Aleppo-based emirate in northern Syria and the western Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) more or less continuously fro ...
. In December of the same year, the Byzantine generals
Niketas of Mistheia and Symeon besieged and captured Azaz, and burned Tubbal to the ground in retaliation.
Crusader period
During the Crusader era, Azaz, which was referred to in Crusader sources as "''Hazart''", became of particular strategic significance due to its topography and location, overlooking the surrounding region.
In the hands of the Muslims, Azaz stymied communications between the Crusader states of
Edessa and
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
, while in Crusader hands it threatened the major Muslim city of
Aleppo.
Around December 1118, the Crusader prince
Roger of Antioch and the
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
prince
Leo I
The LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office I) was the first computer used for commercial business applications.
The prototype LEO I was modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC. Its construction was overseen by Oliver Standingford, Raymond Thompson and ...
besieged and captured Azaz from the Turcoman prince
Ilghazi of
Mardin.
In January 1124, Balak and
Toghtekin
Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkic military leader, who was ''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder o ...
, the
Burid atabeg of
Damascus, breached Azaz's defenses, but were repulsed by Crusader reinforcements.
In April 1125, the
Seljuk atabeg
Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi
Qasīm al-Dawla Sayf al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd Āqsunqur al-Bursuqī (), also known as Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, Aqsonqor il-Bursuqi, Aksunkur al-Bursuki, Aksungur or al-Borsoki, was the atabeg of Mosul from 1113–1114 and again from 1124–1126.
Accessi ...
of
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
and Toghtekin invaded the Principality of Antioch and surrounded Azaz.
In response, in May or June 1125, a 3,000-strong Crusader coalition commanded by King
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to th ...
confronted and defeated the 15,000-strong Muslim coalition at the
Battle of Azaz, raising the siege of the town.
[Deschamps 1973, p. 344.]
However, the Crusaders' strength in the region was dealt a blow following the
Zengid
The Zengid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin, which ruled parts of the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuk Empire and eventually seized control of Egypt in 1169. In 1174 the Zengid state extended from Tripoli ...
capture of Edessa in 1144.
Afterward, the other fortresses in the County of Edessa, including Azaz, gradually became neglected.
In 1146,
Humphrey II of Toron Humphrey II of Toron (1117 – 22 April 1179) was lord of Toron and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Humphrey I of Toron.
Humphrey had become lord of Toron sometime before 1140 when he married the daughter of Renier Brus ...
sent sixty knights to reinforce the garrison at Azaz.
Despite its strong fortifications, the fortress of Azaz finally fell to the Muslims under the Zengid emir of Aleppo,
Nur ad-Din in June 1150.
13th–20th centuries
The
Ayyubid emir of Aleppo,
al-Aziz Uthman
Al-Malik Al-Aziz Uthman ibn Salah Ad-Din Yusuf (1171 – 29 November 1198) was the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. He was the second son of Saladin.
Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin: Al-Afdal received Palest ...
, rebuilt the earlier Hamdanid structure at Azaz with stone.
During Ayyubid rule, in 1226, the local historian
Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) ( ar, ياقوت الحموي الرومي) was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine Greek ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th-13th centuries). He is known for ...
, described Azaz as a "fine town", referring to the settlement as "Dayr Tell Azaz".
It was the center of a district bearing its name that also included the market towns or forts of
Kafr Latha,
Mannagh, Yabrin, Arfad, Tubbal and
Innib.
The
Mamluk Sultanate
The Mamluk Sultanate ( ar, سلطنة المماليك, translit=Salṭanat al-Mamālīk), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz (western Arabia) from the mid-13th to early 16t ...
ruled over the area from the 13th century. The
Ottomans entered the area in 1516 with a victory at the
Battle of Marj Dabiq
The Battle of Marj Dābiq ( ar, مرج دابق, meaning "the meadow of Dābiq"; tr, Mercidabık Muharebesi), a decisive military engagement in Middle Eastern history, was fought on 24 August 1516, near the town of Dabiq, 44 km north of ...
. Azaz continued to be inhabited by
Turkmen in the Ottoman era. It was a
sanjak
Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ)
* Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province")
* Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region")
* el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
administrative division along with that of
Kilis. After the
fall of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, the new
Syria-Turkey border ran just north of Azaz. The town was first part of the
French colonial empire's
Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon and, from 1946, the independent state of
Syria.
Syrian civil war
On 19 July 2012, during the
Syrian civil war, rebels opposed to the
Syrian government succeeded in
capturing the town. The town is highly valued as a logistical supply route close to the Turkish–Syrian border.
The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
took control of Azaz in October 2013, but withdrew from the city in February 2014 after having been cut off from the rest of its territory.
Following the departure of ISIL, Azaz was left under the control of
Northern Storm, a brigade under the authority of the
Islamic Front, nominally a part of the
Free Syrian Army (FSA) at that time. A Sharia Committee was responsible for the administration of
sharia law, and was policed by the Northern Storm brigade. A Civil Council governed the field of public services.
During its northern offensive in 2015, ISIL approached Azaz, but fell short of directly assaulting the city; taking
Kafra and surrounding territory. While regular ISIL forces were finally expelled from the Aleppo Governorate in October 2016, the
January 2017 Azaz bombing was attributed to ISIL.
In January 2015,
al-Nusra Front had a limited presence in the town and controlled one mosque.
[ By October 2015, the control of the town was shared between Nusra and a brigade of the FSA.
Turkey began organising Turkmen militia bases in Azaz during the ]People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly- Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...
(YPG) advance against ISIL in 2015, in order to prevent the YPG obtaining a land bridge between the Afrin and Kobanî Cantons. The Turkish government declared Azaz to be a "red line" which Kurdish forces must not cross. Azaz became one of the first towns to come under the Turkish occupation of northern Syria during the 2016 Operation Euphrates Shield
Operation Euphrates Shield ( tr, Fırat Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Syrian Civil War which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out ...
. By late 2017, Azaz was the headquarters of the Syrian Interim Government.
Climate
Azaz has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Csa'').
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{Cities of Syria
Cities in Syria
Populated places in Azaz District
Towns in Aleppo Governorate