Jubb'adin or Ġuppaҁōḏ ( ar, جبعدين, arc, ܓܦܥܘܕ - ) is a village in southern
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
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 ...
, located northeast of
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
in the
Qalamoun Mountains
The Qalamoun Mountains ( ar, جبال القلمون, Jabāl al-Qalamūn) are the northeastern portion of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and they are northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus. They run from Barada River, Barada River Valley in the s ...
. Nearby localities include
Saidnaya and
Rankous to the southwest,
Yabroud and
Maaloula to the northeast, and
Assal al-Ward
Assal al-Ward ( ar, عسال الورد; also spelled Asal el-Ward) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located northeast of Damascus along the Syrian– Lebanese borders. Nearby localities include Ha ...
to the northwest. According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Jubb'adin had a population of 3,778 in the 2004 census.
[General Census of Population and Housing 2004](_blank)
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. However, that number has likely decreased during the
Syrian Civil War as a result of combat casualties and emigration of young men out of the village to avoid military drafting. In 2013, the village was bombarded multiple times by the
Syrian Armed Forces
The Syrian Arab Armed Forces ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ, al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah) are the military forces of the Syrian Arab Re ...
.
The village is among the three last remaining villages where
Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken. Most of the younger people in the village are bilingual and speak both Western Neo-Aramaic and
Syrian Arabic fluently. The etymology of the village's name remains controversial. It is believed to be composed of two parts. The first part is ''ġuppa'' ( arc, ܓܽܦܐ), which is Aramaic for 'well' and second part is ''ҁōḏ'' ( arc, ܥܘܕ), which has several possible meanings. It could mean 'feast', making the full meaning as 'the well of the feast'. Another possibility is that it is a reference to Audis who founded
Audianism
The Audians or Anthropomorphites were a sect of Christians in the fourth century in Syria and Scythia, named after their founder Audius (or Audaeus), who took literally the text of Genesis, i, 27 — that God created mankind in his own image.
Beli ...
prior to the advent of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, in which case the full meaning would be 'the well of Audis'. Another theory, though less likely, is that the word is a reference to the people of
‘Ad, who are mentioned in the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...
.
Today, the village's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims. The main mosque in the village is called ''Jemҁa rāb'' or 'the large mosque' in Aramaic. Historically, most of the inhabitants were farmers but nowadays there is a much larger diversity of occupations. Jubb'adin is the main source of modern poetry written in the
Western Neo-Aramaic language thanks to its many poets. The environment is colder than most other Syrian cities and villages due to its altitude.
Famous individuals from the village include the Syrian actor
Jalal Al-Taweel.
References
Populated places in Al-Qutayfah District
Samples of spoken Jubb'adin Aramaicat the ''Semitisches Tonarchiv'' (Semitic Audio Archive)
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