Bariqa ( ar, بريقة, also spelled Buraykah or Breikeh) is a village in southwestern

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 Quneitra Governorate, south of

Quneitra Quneitra (also Al Qunaytirah, Qunaitira, or Kuneitra; ar, ٱلْقُنَيْطِرَة or ٱلْقُنَيطْرَة, ''al-Qunayṭrah'' or ''al-Qunayṭirah'' ) is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in sout ...

, in the Syrian-controlled portion of the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

. Nearby localities include

Beer Ajam Beer Ajam ( ar, بئر عجم, Biʾr ʿAjam, also spelled Bir Ajam, ''lit.'' " Non-Arabs' Spring") is a Syrian Circassian village in the Quneitra Governorate in the Syrian controlled portion of the Golan Heights. It has been inhabited for about ...

to the north, Naba al-Sakhr to the northeast, al-Harra and

Namer Namer ( he, נמ"ר, ), means "leopard" and also a syllabic abbreviation of "Nagmash" (APC) and "Merkava", is an Israeli armoured personnel carrier based on a Merkava Mark IV tank chassis. Namer was developed by and is being assembled by the ...

to the east, al-Suwaysah and

Jasim Jasim ( ar, جاسم, also spelled Jasem) is a small city in the Izra' District of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria. It is located 41 kilometers north of Daraa and is near the towns of Nawa to the south, Kafr Shams to the north, Inkhil to ...

to the southeast and al-Rafid to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Bariqa had a population of 371 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Quneitra Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly

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 ...

from the

Abadzekh The Abzakh ( Circassian: Абдзэх, ''Abdzekh''; Russian: абадзехи; also known as Abdzakhs or Abadzekhs) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. Histo ...

tribe, who profess

Sunni Islam 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 disag ...

. In the late 19th-century Bariqa was described as "one of the largest and best of the Circassian villages." It consisted of about 100 houses with 85 families, translating into an approximate population of 425, including 68 adult male fighters. Its streets were wide and clean, it abounded in heaps of hay and contained a well-built

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. To the north of Bariqa was an icy-water spring and to the east was a pool which irrigated the village's crops. Bariqa served as the residence of the ''

sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

'' ("chief") of all the Circassian villages in the Golan Heights region. Opposition rebels and

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six-D ...

soldiers clashed in Bariqa and nearby Beer Ajam in November 2012, during the ongoing Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. Fatalities on both sides totaled about 30, according to a monitoring group. The village was reported to be under rebel control by 13 November. On 26 July 2018, the Syrian army took back the town after the rebels surrendered and handed over their heavy and medium weapons to army.After days of negotiations, an agreement and settlements were reached in towns in the northern countryside of Quneitra
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* {{Quneitra Governorate Circassian communities in Syria Populated places in Quneitra Governorate Villages in Syria 1870s establishments in Ottoman Syria