Sayyidah Zaynab ( ar, السيدة زينب, as-Sayyidah Zaynab; meaning "Lady Zaynab"), commonly known as Sitt Zaynab ( ar, ست زينب), is a town in the
Rif Dimashq Governorate
Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دمشق, ', literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the ...
of
Syria, south of
Damascus, the national capital. With a population of 136,427 (2004 census), it is the 10th most populous city in Syria and the most populous satellite city of Damascus. Administratively, the town is located in
Markaz Rif Dimashq
Markaz Rif Dimashq District ( ar-at, منطقة مركز ريف دمشق, manṭiqat Markaz Rif Dimašq) or Damascus Central Countryside District is a district of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in southern Syria.
Geography
Markaz Rif Dimashq is loc ...
district and belongs to 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
Babbila.
[General Census of Population and Housing 2004](_blank)
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. The municipality of Sayyidah Zaynab is still considered as a rural community by the governorate of Rif Dimashq. The city contains the
Qabr Essit Palestinian refugee camp
Camps are set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to accommodate Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA, who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestinian e ...
.
Etymology
The name of the town is derived from the shrine that contains the grave of
Zaynab, daughter of
‘Alī and
Fātimah and granddaughter of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
. It is believed by
Shī‘a Muslims that the
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque is the authentic burial place of Lady Zaynab, whereas the mosque in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
by the same name belongs to Zaynab bint Yahya bint Zayd bint
‘Alī Zayn al-‘Ābidīn (i.e. the great granddaughter of the
Imam).
Religious significance
Sayyidah Zaynab is one of the most important destinations for Shī‘a Muslim pilgrims. It has also become an important center of learning in the Shī‘i world.
In the 1980s, during the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...
, as well as during the 1990s, the flow of the visitors increased significantly because the Shī‘a shrines in Iraq were inaccessible. Until 2011, around 1 million tourists visited the town of Sayyidah Zaynab every year.
Shī‘a Muslim pilgrims especially came to the shrine town of Sayyidah Zaynab in order to ask for healing.
Currently, 33 public schools and a number of religious institutions are operating in the town.
Recent history
On September 27, 2008, there was a
car bomb attack on the intersection leading up to the mosque, killing 17 people with 17 others wounded.
On June 14, 2012, the town became the target of a suicide car bomb attack where around 14 people were heavily wounded.
Since mid summer 2012 the town has been under attack from armed militants in neighbouring
Sunni towns. Many Shia and pro government families were driven out of their homes in southern Damascus and sought refuge in Sayyidah Zaynab. Constant shelling became more frequent in this predominantly
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
town, and rockets landing on random places in the town became common. In January 2013 a mortar shell landed on the
Sayyidah Zaynab Shrine causing some damage to one of the minarets. Sayyidah Zaynab was reported to be a pro-government stronghold as of 7 December 2012.
on 4 February 2013, it was reported that Sayyidah Zaynab was contested between rebels and hezbollah/iraqis
On January 31, 2016, at least 71 people were killed in a double bomb blast in the Koa sodhda area, near the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque. At least 40 people were also wounded in the blasts, which were caused by car bombs. The attacks came as delegates from the Syrian government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva for provisional peace talks.
On February 21 2016, at least 134 people were killed and 180+ injured in up to four explosions including a car bomb and two suicide blasts. The
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
claimed responsibility.
ISIL
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in June that injured 55 people.
SANA reported 12 people killed, while the
SOHR
, 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 ...
said 20 died.
According to the Times of Israel on 21 May 2022, citing a Twitter, account which follows Israeli military activity in Syria, it was alleged that "the strikes targeted sites in the suburb of Sayyidah Zaynab, south of Damascus".
See also
*
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayyidah Zaynab
Populated places in Markaz Rif Dimashq District
Cities in Syria
Shia Muslim communities in Syria