Al-Hawash ( /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''al-Ḥwāsh'') is a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

town in northwestern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, administratively belonging to the

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its geography differs in various locations in the governorate, from to . ...

. Nearby towns include al-Husn and

Marmarita Marmarita (, ) is a village in northwestern Syria, located west of Homs. Marmarita is one of the largest villages in Wadi al-Nasara ("Valley of the Christians"), a region north of Talkalakh. In 2004, Marmarita had a population of 2,206, accord ...

to the west, Shin to the east and Talkalakh to the southwest. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Hawash had a population of 4,067 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly

, much like most of the villages in the area. The village has two

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

and a

Greek Catholic Church Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gre ...

. Its location in the midst of a coniferous mountain makes it a popular and favored summer destination. Hawash is the largest village in Wadi al-Nasara ("Valley of Christians") region. It is an important historic site and used to be a popular tourist attraction before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

Etymology

The name ''Hawash'' is derived from ''Hoshe'' which is Arabic for "

Corsage A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or around her wrist for a formal occasion. They are typically given to her by her date. Today, corsages are most commonly seen at homecomings, proms, and similar formal events. In ...

" or place of flowers. It has been also suggested that ''Wash'' is a word form an old

Syriac language The Syriac language ( ; ), also known natively in its spoken form in early Syriac literature as Edessan (), the Mesopotamian language () and Aramaic (), is an Aramaic#Eastern Middle Aramaic, Eastern Middle Aramaic dialect. Classical Syriac is ...

which mean 'the good soil'.

History

Al-Hawash is said to date to the 18th-century. Along with many other villages in the area, the earliest inhabitants of Hawash had immigrated from the southern

Hauran The Hauran (; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, to the northeast by the al-Safa field, to the east and south by the Harrat ...

plain. It has buildings built as early as the late 17th century. In 1838, the villagers were noted as being

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

, in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p
181
/ref>

References

Bibliography

External links

Alhwash's official websiteAl-Wadi International University HPU Al-hwash Private University Alhwash In Wikimapia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawash Populated places in Talkalakh District Towns in Syria Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Syria Christian communities in Syria