Hass () is a 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 part of the
Ma'arrat al-Numan District
Ma'arrat Nu'man District () is a Districts of Syria, district of the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Maarat al-Numan. At the 2004 census, the district had a population of 371,829.
Sub-districts
Th ...
of the
Idlib Governorate
Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...
. The town has an altitude of 630 meters above sea level. According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Hass had a population of 9,595 in the 2004 census.
General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...
s.[Boulanger, 1966, p. 413.]
Nearby localities include Kafr Nabl to the west, Hish to the south, Kafr Ruma and Maarrat al-Numan to the east, and al-Bara to the north. Hass is well known for its olive groves, and is surrounded by historical sites, including some of the most important Dead Cities
The Dead Cities () or Forgotten Cities () are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages grouped in eight archaeological parks situated in north-western Syria provide an insight into rura ...
, such as Serjilla, Shanshrah, and al-Bara and Kafr Nabl.
Archaeology
Hass itself contains a medieval-era mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
and ruins. It is also immediately northwest of the site of a 6th-century CE Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
tomb. The tomb consists of two levels with a pyramid-shaped roof and is held up by Corinthian columns.nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
making up nearly half of the width). The church floor was marked by a mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
depicting peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
s.
References
Bibliography
*
{{Idlib Governorate, maara
Populated places in Maarat al-Numan District
Archaeological sites in Idlib Governorate
Populated places in Jabal Zawiya