Fahil () is a town in central

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 part of 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 . ...

, located northwest of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

. Fahel lies in a long valley surrounded by mountains in the basaltic region of Jabal al-Helou with elevations ranging from above sea level. On the village's eastern end, where the mountains slope lower, lies the road connecting it with Homs. Nearby localities include

Taldou Taldou (, also spelled Tall Daww, Taldo, Tall Dhu or Taldao) is a town in the Houla region of northern Syria, north of Homs in the Homs Governorate. Nearby towns include Burj al-Qa'i to the east, Tallaf to the northeast, Kafr Laha and Tell Dah ...

and

Kafr Laha Kafr Laha () is a town in the Homs Governorate north of Homs in northern Syria. In 2004 it had a population of 20,041 according to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Syria. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the l ...

to the northeast and al-Qabu to the west. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Fahil had a population of 5,775 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. Fahel was relatively self-sufficient in basic services, including primary and secondary education, healthcare, telephone and postal offices. The village is well known for growing apples, which cover 5,580 dunams and produce an average annual of 20,000 tons. Olives are the next major crop, followed by grapes and figs. Around 2008, the village mayor Badr Ali noted the village had recently seen increased modernization, including the use of tractors for agricultural transport, and the spread of cement construction, replacing older homes made of brick, mud and stone.

History

According to the Ottoman Defter records of 1526 (a decade after their conquest of Syria), the village of Fahil consisted of 12 households. By 1594, the population had increased to 56 households. In 1838, it was recorded as an

Alawite Alawites () are an Arabs, Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate A ...

and

Greek Orthodox Christian 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 Roma ...

-populated village.

Syrian Civil War

On 24 January 2025, shortly after the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

. At least 16 people were killed in the village by gunmen with reported links to the new Syrian government. The SOHR confirmed the deaths of 16 people. 58 other people were also arrested. Some were former officers of the Assad regime.

References

Bibliography

* Populated places in Homs District Alawite communities in Syria Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Syria {{HomsSY-geo-stub