Marayan ( ar, مرعيان, also spelled ''Mir'ian'') is a village in northwestern

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

Ariha District Ariha District ( ar-at, منطقة أريحا, manṭiqat Arīh̨ā) is a district of the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of Ariha Ariha ( ar, أَرِيحَا, ʾArīḥā, also called Rīḥā, ) is a ...

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 ...

. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Marayan had a population of 2,274 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly

Sunni Muslim 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 disagree ...

s.Boulanger, 1966, p. 411. Nearby localities include Ihsim and Iblin to the south, Sarjah to the east, and

al-Rami Al-Rami ( ar, الرامي) or Rami ( ar, رامي), is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located south of Idlib. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Rami had a population of 49 ...

and

Ariha Ariha ( ar, أَرِيحَا, ʾArīḥā, also called Rīḥā, ) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located south of Idlib. Nearby localities include Urum al-Jawz to the southwest, Sarjah to the sout ...

to the north. In the 1960s, Marayan was a small village containing a mosque and a spring. In the village's immediate vicinity are the ruins of Byzantine-era

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

es, which were being used as underground residences in the 1960s.

References

Bibliography

* {{Idlib Governorate, ariha Populated places in Ariha District