Maharda ( ar, محردة, Maḥarda, ), also spelled Mhardeh or Muhardah, is a city 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 about 23 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 along 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. ...

, near the

Ghab plain The Ghab Plain ( ar, سَهْلُ ٱلْغَابِ, Sahl al-Ġāb, literally: Forest Plain) is a fertile depression lying mainly in the Al-Suqaylabiyah District in northwest Syria. The Orontes River, flowing north, enters the Plain near Muhradah, ...

. Nearby localities include

Halfaya Halfaya ( ar, حلفايا, also spelled Helfaya) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Mahardah and Shaizar to the west, al-Lataminah a ...

and Taybat al-Imam to the east,

Khitab Khattab ( ar, خطاب, also spelled Khutab or Khattab) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, northwest of Hama located near the Orontes River River. Nearby localities include Qamhana to the east, S ...

to the southeast,

Maarzaf Ma'arzaf ( ar, معرزاف) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Asilah to the west, Mahardah to the north, Khitab to the east and Umm al-Tuyur to the ...

to the south,

Asilah Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

and Jubb Ramlah to the southwest,

Shaizar Shaizar or Shayzar ( ar, شيزر; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισα εν Συρία in Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby l ...

Safsafiyah Safsafiyah ( ar, صفصافية) is a Syrian village located in the Mahardah Subdistrict of the Mahardah District in Hama Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Safsafiyah had a population of 5,062 in the 2004 c ...

Tremseh Tremseh ( ar, التريمسة, ''al-Turaymisah''), or in various dialects ''Tremseh'', ''Treimsa'', ''Taramsah'', ''Taramseh'' in the Hama Governorate in northern Syria. It is roughly 22 miles northwest of the central city of Hama. Nearby localiti ...

and

Kafr Hud Kafr Hud ( ar, كفر هود) is a Syrian town located in the Mahardah Subdistrict of the Mahardah District in Hama Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kafr Hud had a population of 2,736 in the 2004 census. It ...

to the west and

Kafr Zita Kafr Zita ( ar, كفر زيتا, Kafr Zaytā, also spelled Kfar Zita, Kafr Zayta, Kfar Zeita, Keferzita or Kafr Zeita) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 30 kilometers north of Hama. Nearby localitie ...

and

al-Lataminah Al-Lataminah ( ar, اللطامنة, also spelled ''Latamneh'' or ''Latamnah'') is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Karnaz to the northwest, Kafr Zita to ...

to the north. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Maharda had a population of 17,578 in the 2004 census. It is the center of

Mahardah District Mahardah District ( ar, محردة ') is a district (mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 143,953. Its administrative centre is the city of Mahardah. Sub-districts The distri ...

, one of the Hama Governorate's five districts, and the ''

nahiyah A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...

'' ("subdistrict") of Mahardah, which contained 21 localities with a combined population of 80,165 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. Maharda's population was estimated to be 22,442 in 2010. Its inhabitants are predominantly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

s. Maharda's residents mostly work in agriculture, industry and trade. The educational level of population is reported to be high. The climate in the city is mild in summertime and occasional snowfall may be seen in winter.http://www.mhardeh.com/efs/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=55&b681d71039827043016b25192ac0cf2f=5aea53297d292e9c187988d333f7445f The

was recently dammed 3 kilometers north, and the

Mahardah Dam The Mahardah Dam, also spelled ''Mhardeh Dam'', is an embankment dam on the Orontes River in the city of Mahardah, Hama Governorate, Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab ...

on the Ghab plain is used to generate

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

. Maharda dates back to the same

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

period of

Apamea Apamea or Apameia ( grc, Απάμεια) is the name of several Hellenistic cities in western Asia, after Apama, the Sogdian wife of Seleucus I Nicator, several of which are also former bishoprics and Catholic titular see. Places called Apamea in ...

and the most notable archaeological remnant from this period is an old temple with stone doors and columns with

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

capitals transformed later into a church.

Ghada Shouaa Ghada Shouaa ( ar, غادة شعاع; born September 10, 1972) is a retired Syrian heptathlete. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won her country's first and only Olympic gold medal. She was also a World and Asian heptathlon champion. She is consi ...

, the first Syrian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete to win an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medal, was born in Maharda as well as Patriarch

Ignatius IV of Antioch Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Religious * Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop * Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...

. Maharda is the nearest large town to

in which killings took place on 12 July 2012. Additionally, a suicide bomber killed three civilians and one security officer in Maharda on 14 July 2012. During the Syrian Civil War, Maharda has been targeted by rebels, yet remained under government control. According to pro-government media, the rate of attacks on Maharda increased during the course of the 2017 Hama offensive.

References

{{Authority control Cities in Syria Populated places in Mahardah District Christian communities in Syria

See also

References