Zita al-Gharbiyah ( ar, زيتا الغربية, also spelled Zeita) is a village in central

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

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حمص / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from to . It is thus geographical ...

, located southwest of

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

and immediately north of the border with

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. Nearby localities include

Aqrabiyah Aqrabiyah ( ar, العقربية, also spelled Akrabieh or Aqrabieh; also known as al-Buwaydah al-Gharbiyah) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located southwest of Homs and immediately east and north of t ...

to the north,

Kadesh Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kadeš and Qades come from the common Semitic root "Q-D-Š", which means "sacred." Kadesh and variations may refer to: Ancient/biblical places * Kadesh (Syria) or Qadesh, an ancient city of the Levant, on ...

and

Arjoun Arjoun ( ar, عرجون, Arjūn, also spelled Arcun or Arjoon), is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located southwest of Homs. Nearby localities include Aqrabiyah to the southwest, al-Qusayr to the southea ...

to the northeast, the district center of al-Qusayr to the east and

Jusiyah al-Amar Jusiyah al-Amar ( ar, جوسية العمار), or simply Jusiyah, is a Syrian village located in Al-Qusayr District, Homs Governorate, Homs, near the border of Lebanon. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria), Syria Central Bureau o ...

to the southeast. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Zita al-Gharbiyah had a population of 2,922 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. The population is predominantly

Shia Muslim 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, most ...

and is immediately surrounded by several smaller Shia Muslim villages. Although the village is in Syria, its inhabitants are Lebanese. In the mid-19th-century ancient ruins were found in Zita al-Gharbiyah. During a military training drill in the vicinity in 2005,

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

caves were found in the village that resembled the Jeita Grotto in Lebanon. The cave was studied by a team from the

al-Baath University Al-Baath University ( ar, جَامِعَة الْبَعْث, ), founded in 1979, is a public university located in the city of Homs, Syria, 180 km north of Damascus. It is Syria's fourth largest university.Lesch, David W. (2005) ''The new lion ...

of Homs and by the government Department of Tourism and Antiquities. It was determined that cave dates back 60 million years ago. During the ongoing Syrian civil war, Zita al-Gharbiyah has been the scene of several clashes between the opposition

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

(FSA) and local fighters backed by

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

. The village has formed a front with other Shia-majority villages against villages in the vicinity of al-Qusayr that have hosted the FSA. In the summer of 2012, two residents of Zita al-Gharbiyah were kidnapped by the FSA prompting members of the north Lebanon-based Jaafar clan which also inhabits the village to abduct 32 Syrians. Consequently, a reconciliation committee consisting of Shia clans from the

Hermel Hermel ( ar, الهرمل) is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancient ...

region of Lebanon and pro-FSA villages in the al-Qusayr region was formed, resulting in the return of hostages and a calming of tensions. However, clashes had restarted by early 2013.Al-Fakih, Rakan
Lebanese villagers in Syria ride out the storm
'' The Daily Star''. 2013-02-13.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zita Gharbiyah Populated places in al-Qusayr District Shia Muslim communities in Syria