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The Jazira Region, formerly Jazira Canton, ( ku, Herêma Cizîrê, ar, إقليم الجزيرة, syr, ܦܢܝܬܐ ܕܓܙܪܬܐ, Ponyotho d'Gozarto), is the largest of the
three original regions of the de facto
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), also known as Rojava, is a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, M ...
(AANES). As part of the ongoing
Rojava conflict
The Rojava conflict, also known as the Rojava Revolution, is a political upheaval and military conflict taking place in northern Syria, known among Kurds as Western Kurdistan or Rojava.
During the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, a Kurdish- ...
, its democratic autonomy was officially declared on 21 January 2014.
The region is in the
Al-Hasakah Governorate
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 (prov ...
(formerly known as the
Al-Jazira Province) 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 ...
.
According to the AANES constitution, the city of
Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo) is the administrative center of Jazira Region.
However, as parts of Qamishli remain under the control of Syrian government forces, meetings of the autonomous region's administration take place in the nearby city of
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 ...
.
The region has two subordinate cantons, the
Hasakah canton consisting of the
al-Hasakah area (with the
Al-Shaddadi,
Al-Arisha and
Al-Hawl
Al-Hawl ( ar-at, ٱلْهَوْل, al-Hawl, lit="swampland"), also spelled al-Hole, al-Hol, al-Hool and al-Houl, is a town in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, under control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syr ...
districts subordinate to it), the
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. ...
area, and the
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 ...
area, as well as the Qamishli canton consisting of the Qamishli area (with the
Amûda,
Tirbê Sipî,
Tel Hemîs and
Tel Berak districts subordinate to it) and the
Derîk
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. ...
area (with the
Girkê Legê
Al-Muabbada ( ar, المعبدة; ku, Girkê Legê) is a town in al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Muabbada had a population of 15,759 in the 2004 census. ,
Tel Koçer and
Çilaxa districts subordinate to it).
Demographics
Jazira Region'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 ...
,
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 ...
. While
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
and
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
are official languages, all communities have the right to teach and be taught in their native language. Religions practiced in the region are
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and
Yazidism
Yazidism , alternatively Sharfadin is a Monotheism, monotheistic ethnic religion that has roots in a western Ancient Iranian religion, Iranic pre-Zoroastrian religion directly derived from the Indo-Iranians, Indo-Iranian tradition. It is follow ...
.
[ 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 20-30% of the people of Al-Hasakeh governorate
are Christians of various churches and denominations.
Cities and towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants according to the 2004 Syrian census are 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 ...
(188,160), Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo) (184,231), 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 ...
(26,821), 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. ...
(26,311), Al-Qahtaniyah (16,946), Al-Shaddadah
Al-Shaddadah or al-Shaddadi ( ar, ٱلشَّدَّادَة \ ٱلشَّدَّادِي, aš-Šaddādah / aš-Šaddādī) is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The town is the administrative center of the al-Shaddadah Su ...
(15,806), Al-Muabbada (15,759), Al-Sabaa wa Arbain
Al-Sabaa wa Arbain ( ar, السبعة وأربعين, as-Sabʿa wa-ʾArbaʿīn) is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria.
Administratively the town belongs to the Nahiya al-Shaddadah of al-Hasakah District
Al-Hasakah Dis ...
(14,177) and Al-Manajir
al-Manajir ( ar, المناجير, ku, مەناجیر , Menacîr), often referred to as Manajir, Manajer or Manjar, is a town in northwestern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. At the 2004 census, al-Manajir had a population of 12,156 ...
(12,156).
The Jazira region has been home to one of the largest concentrations of Christians in Syria
Christians in Syria make up about 10% of the population. The country's largest Christian denomination is the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, closely followed by the Greek Catholic Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, which has a commo ...
. Many of the cities where founded by Christian communities. In 1927 the regions population was recorded as the following table.
History
In the late 10th century, the Kurdish Humaydi tribe had their winter pastures in the Jazira region and clashed with forces of Buyid
The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Coupl ...
ruler Adud al-Dawla
Fannā (Panāh) Khusraw ( fa, پناه خسرو), better known by his laqab of ʿAḍud al-Dawla ( ar, عضد الدولة, "Pillar of the bbasidDynasty") (September 24, 936 – March 26, 983) was an emir of the Buyid dynasty, ruling from 9 ...
. During 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) ...
(1299–1922), 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
Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...
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 Jazira (modern Syria's Hasakah Governorate
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 (pro ...
). The Ottoman province of Diyarbekir, which included parts of modern-day 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 ...
, was called '' Eyalet-i Kurdistan'' during the Tanzimat
The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...
reforms period (1839–67). Until the 19th century, Kurdistan did not include the lands of Syrian Jazira in some books. 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. According to McDowall, Kurds slightly outnumbered Arabs in Jazira in 1918.
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 o ...
) conducted ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...
of its Christian Armenian and Assyrian/Syriac populations. Some Kurdish tribes
The following is a list of tribes of Kurdish people, an Iranic ethnic group from the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan in Western Asia.
Iraq
Baghdad Governorate
The following tribes are present in Baghdad Governorate:
* Feyli tribe
Diyala Gover ...
joined in the atrocities committed against them. Many Assyrians/Syriacs fled to Syria during the genocide and settled mainly in the Jazira area.
Until the 19th century, Kurdistan did not include the lands of Syrian Jazira in some books. According to McDowall, Kurds slightly outnumbered Arabs in Jazira in 1918.
Starting in 1926, the region saw an immigration of Kurds following the failure of the Sheikh Said rebellion against the Turkish authorities. It is estimated that 25,000 Kurds fled at this time to Syria. While many of the Kurds in Syria have been there for centuries, waves of Kurds fled their homes in Turkey and settled in Syria, where they were granted citizenship by the French mandate authorities.
In the late 1930s a small but vigorous separatist movement emerged in Qamishli. With some support from French Mandate officials, the movement actively lobbied for autonomy direct under French rule and separation from Syria on the ground that 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, ...
Shammal 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 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.
According to the French report to the League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
in 1937, the population of Jazira consisted of 82,000 Kurdish villagers, 42,000 Muslim Arab pastoralists, and 32,000 Christian town dwellers (Assyrians/Syriacs and Armenians).
Between 1932 and 1939, a Kurdish-Christian 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. The Jazira governor appointed by Damascus intended to disarm the population and encourage the settlement of Arab farmers from Aleppo, Homs and Hama in Jazira. 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/Syriacs 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.
Politics and administration
Legislative Assembly
All four main ethnic communities (Kurds, Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians) are represented in the 101-seat Legislative Assembly. The current prime minister (sometimes referred to as president) of Jazira Canton is the Kurdish Akram Hesso with Arab Hussein Taza Al Azam and Assyrian/Syriac Elizabeth Gawrie as deputy prime ministers (sometimes referred to as vice-presidents).
There are people's councils but it is unclear how they relate to the transitional government.
There also appear to be co-governor/co-president positions, with tribal leader and Al-Sanadid Forces
The Forces of the Brave ( ar, جيش الصناديد / قوات الصناديد, translit=Quwwāt aṣ-Ṣanādīd / Jayš aṣ-Ṣanādīd), generally called the al-Sanadid Forces, are a militia formed by the Arab Shammar tribe to fight agains ...
leader Humaydi Daham al-Hadi and Hediye Yusuf being co-governors of the region.
Notable legislation
In January 2016, Jazira Canton introduced a "self-defense duty" conscription law for its self-defence forces, including an avoidance fee for residents of age for mandatory military service who have moved to Europe, to pay $200 for each year of absence upon their return.
In September 2015, the legislative council passed the ''Law for the Management and Protection of the Assets of the Refugees and the Absentees'', under which a real estate owner loses title when he does not make personal use of the property. In particular among the Assyrian community in Jazira Region, persistent opposition was voiced, as their community is disproportionally hit by the measure, for both a high degree of real estate ownership and a particularly high share of outbound civil war refugees.[ Assyrian organizations of the region published several statements making accusations of seizing private property, demographic changing and ethnic cleansing.] Assets seized from Assyrians under the law have reportedly since been handed over to Syriac churches.[
]
Police
Security is maintained by the Asayish police force and its Assyrian/Syriac counterpart, the Sootoro
The Gozarto Protection Forces ( syr, ܚܝܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܕܓܙܪܬܐ, ar, سوتورو, GPF) and Sootoro ( syr, ܣܘܬܪܐ), united as one organisation, are a regional militia based in Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria, composed o ...
. Syrian government loyalists only control a number of demarcated neighborhoods in Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo) . The government-held areas in Qamishli include the city's airport, the city's train station, the border crossing, the governor's palace, and many other residential neighborhoods with various governmental buildings such as hospitals and fire departments.
List of executive officers
Economy
The economy of Jazira Canton mainly based on agriculture, it accounts for 17 percent of Syria's agricultural production, in particular wheat and cotton grown there in abundance. Being the "bread basket" of Syria, wheat production before the Syrian Civil War used to be around 1,8 million tons per year, at the height of the war however dropping as low as 0,5 million tons.[ The Economy Committee promotes varied vegetable and fruit cultivation instead of the mono-culture of wheat; in ]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 ...
a centre to develop seedlings has been created. Development of a greenhouse
A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...
economy is promoted. In Al-Qahtaniyah, an ecological village was founded so that local Rojavan population can acquire experience in ecology from international volunteers. By 2020, there have been established 40 workers cooperatives with between five to ten families each. Eighteen are organized by ''Aborija Jin'' of the Kongra Star, an organization focused on the female activities in the AANES.
The only significant industrial area is in 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 ...
.
Jazira Region is home to several oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
s, among them Syria's best producing one at Rmelan
Rmelan ( ar, رميلان, ku, Rimêlan) is a town in the al-Hasakah Governorate in the northeast of Syria. Administratively part of the al-Yaarubiyah nahiyah of al-Malikiyah District, the town is located 900 km northeast of the capital Da ...
. As of summer 2016, oil output in Jazira Region was estimated at around 40,000 barrels per day.[ Some people work at primitive oil refining, which causes health hazards and pollution. The oil wealth in combination with the economic blockade of the AANES from the adjacent territories controlled by Turkey, and partially also the KRG, results in a distortion of relative prices; petrol costs only half as much as bottled water.]
Electricity is supplied by Tishrin Dam
The Tishrin Dam ( ar, سد تشرين, Sadd Tišrīn, lit=October Dam, ku, بەنداڤا تشرین, Bendava Tişrîn, syc, ܣܟܪܐ ܕܬܫܪܝܢ, Sekro d'Teshrin) is a dam on the Euphrates, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syri ...
on the Euphrates, within Euphrates Region; apart from that, electricity is produced by diesel generators.
Taxation
In July 2017, Jazira Region became the first region in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to introduce an income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
, with citizens' income of above 100,000 Syrian pound (at the time equivalent to around 200 U.S. dollar) per month to be taxed.
Education
Like in the other Rojava regions, primary education in the public schools is initially by mother tongue instruction either Kurdish or Arabic, with the aim of bilingualism
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
in Kurdish and Arabic in secondary schooling. Curricula are a topic of continuous debate between the regions' Boards of Education and the Syrian central government in Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, which partly pays the teachers. In August 2016, the ''Ourhi Centre'' in the city of Qamishli was founded by the Assyrian/Syriac community, to educate teachers in order to make the Syriac language an additional language to be taught in public schools in Jazira Region, which then started with the 2016/17 academic year. With that academic year, states the Rojava Education Committee, "three curriculums have replaced the old one, to include teaching in three languages: Kurdish, Arabic and Syriac”.
The federal, regional and local administrations in Rojava put much emphasis on promoting libraries and educational centers, to facilitate learning and social and artistic activities. One cited example is the 2015 established ''Nahawand Center for Developing Children’s Talents'' in 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 ...
.
The Jazira Region Board of Education operates two public institutions of higher education, the University of Rojava
Rojava University ( ku, Zanîngeha Rojava, ar, جامعة روجآفا, syc, ܒܝܬ ܨܘܒܐ ܕܪܘܓܐܦܐ), is a university in Syria.
The university was founded in July 2016 with curricula for medicine, engineering, sciences, arts, and humani ...
and the Mesopotamian Social Sciences Academy, both in the city of Qamishli
Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo) . Jazira Region houses a third one, the 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 ...
campus of Al-Furat University
Al-Furat University ( ar, جَامِعَةُ الْفُرَات, Jāmiʿatu l-Furāt) is a Syrian university. It is located in Deir ez-Zor
, population_urban =
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, ...
, which is operated by the Damascus government Ministry of Higher Education.
See also
*Federalization of Syria
The federalization of Syria has been controversially proposed as a possible solution to end the Syrian Civil War. In the broadest sense, it means turning the centralized Syrian Arab Republic into a federal republic with autonomous subdivisions ...
*Rojava conflict
The Rojava conflict, also known as the Rojava Revolution, is a political upheaval and military conflict taking place in northern Syria, known among Kurds as Western Kurdistan or Rojava.
During the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, a Kurdish- ...
*Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), also known as Rojava, is a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, M ...
*Afrin Region
Afrin Region ( ku, Herêma Efrînê, ar, إقليم عفرين, syc, ܦܢܝܬܐ ܕܥܦܪܝܢ, translit=Ponyotho d'Afrin) is the westernmost of the three original regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The region p ...
* Euphrates Region
*Assyrians in Syria
Assyrians in Syria ( syr, ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ, ar, الآشوريون في سوريا) are an ethnic and linguistic minority that are Indigenous peoples, indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia (known in Syriac as ''Gozarto'') which is the name us ...
*Armenians in Syria
The Armenians in Syria are Syrian citizens of either full or partial Armenian descent.
Syria and the surrounding areas have often served as a refuge for Armenians who fled from wars and persecutions such as the Armenian genocide. However, there ...
*Kurds in Syria
The Kurdish population of Syria ( ar, كرد سورية) is the country's largest ethnic minority, usually estimated at around 10% of the Syrian population Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, constituting around 10 per cent of the ...
Notes
References
Works cited
*
External links
Map of majority ethnicities in Syria
by Gulf2000 project of Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
{{Coord missing, Syria
States and territories established in 2014
2014 establishments in Syria
Al-Hasakah Governorate
Al-Hasakah Governorate in the Syrian civil war