Morek ( ar, مورك, also spelled ''Murik'', ''Mork'', or ''Murak'') is a

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 ...

n town located in the Suran Subdistrict in

Hama District Hama District ( ar, منطقة حماة ') is a district (mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the time of the 2004 Census, it had a population of 644,445. Its administrative centre is the city of Hama. Sub-districts ...

. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Morek had a population of 14,307 in the 2004 census. Morek is the center of the country's

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

production. Through Morek, passes the M5 highway which connects

Hama , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = EEST , utc_offset_DST = +3 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , ar ...

with

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

History

In 1838, its inhabitants were noted to be 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 ...

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian civil war the city was the sight of the

Battle of Morek The Battle of Morek was a battle in the Hama Governorate during the Syrian Civil War, between the rebels and the Syrian Government. The clashes were concentrated around and in the eastern side of the town of Morek (or Murak), as the Syrian A ...

. By 2018 it was under the control of Hayat Tahrir al Sham and had become the sight of an important crossing point from rebel held areas into those held by the Syrian government. On August 12, 2018 the

Syrian Arab Army The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) ( ar, الْجَيْشُ الْعَرَبيُّ السُّورِيُّ, al-Jayš al-ʿArabī as-Sūrī), is the army, land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military ...

closed that crossing in preparation for their assault on rebel held territory in the region. The Turkish government had also deployed special forces to Morek in preparation for the SAA's anticipated advance on the Idlib region. The anticipated advance was averted by a de-militarization agreement signed between

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

in September 2018. By May 2019 a group called

Jaysh al-Izza The Army of Glory ( ar, جيش العزة, Jaysh al-Izza), formerly the Union of Glory ( ar, تجمع العزة, Tajamu‘ al-‘Izza, links=no), is a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army active in northwestern Syria, mainly i ...

was stationed in the city and was refusing to allow Russian patrols within the demilitarized zone. On 20 August, the

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , image = Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Logo.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , type = NGO , founded_date = , founder ...

reported that the rebel and Islamic factions including jihadi groups like a

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (, transliteration: ', "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant" or "Levant Liberation Committee"), commonly referred to as Tahrir al-Sham, is a Sunni Islamist political and armed organisation involved in the ...

had completely withdrawn from Morek in the northern countryside of Hama. Turkish Foreign Minister

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (; born 5 February 1968) is a Turkish diplomat and politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey since 24 November 2015. He previously served in the same position from August 2014 to August 2015. He is ...

said that the Turkish troops were staying at the Turkish observation post in Morek. Turkey withdrew from its base in Morek on 19 October 2020, and the town was soon captured by the Syrian Army.

References

Bibliography

* {{Hama Governorate, hama Towns in Hama Governorate Populated places in Hama District