For the Roman/Byzantine history of Qalaat al-Madiq, see
Apamea, Syria
.
Town in Hama, Syria
Qalaat al-Madiq
(
Arabic
:
???? ??????
also spelled
Kal'at al-Mudik
or
Qal'at al-Mudiq
; also known as
Afamiyya
or
Famiyyah
) is a town and medieval fortress in northwestern
Syria
, administratively part of the
Hama Governorate
, located northeast of
Hama
. It is situated in the
al-Ghab plain
, on the eastern bank of the
Orontes River
. Nearby localities include the district center
al-Suqaylabiyah
to the south,
Bureij
and
Karnaz
to the southeast,
Kafr Nabudah
to the east,
al-Huwash
to the north,
Huwayjah al-Sallah
and
Shathah
to the northwest and
Al-Tuwayni
and
Ennab
to the west. According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics
(CBS), Qalaat al-Madiq had a population of 12,925 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and second largest locality in the Qalaat al-Madiq
nahiyah
("subdistrict") which consisted of 40 localities with a collective population of 85,597 in 2004.
[1]
The town's inhabitants are predominantly
Sunni Muslims
.
[2]
Qalaat al-Madiq is the site of the ancient city of
Apamea
, the ruins of which are located just east of the town. The modern fortress, after which the town was named, was built during Muslim rule in the 12th century. It is still inhabited by townspeople.
[3]
The
Syrian Armed Forces
retook this town from rebels during the
May 2019 Hama offensive
.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Ancient period
[
edit
]
Apamea was founded by the
Seleucids
in the 3rd-century BCE and was later conquered by the
Romans
who significantly built up the city.
[5]
During the
Byzantine-Sassanid War
in the early 7th century, Apamea was entirely destroyed by the
Sassanid
forces of
Khosrau II
.
[6]
Heraclius
defeated the Persians and in a negotiation between him and Sassanid general
Shahrvaraz
, Syria reverted to Byzantine control.
[7]
View of the Qalaat al-Madiq fortress, 2010
Islamic era
[
edit
]
In 634, during the
Caliphate
of
Abu Bakr
, Muslim forces began their
conquest of the Levant
, besieging and capturing
Emesa
by 636.
[7]
With this major Byzantine stronghold captured, along with a number of other towns in the vicinity, Apamea surrendered to the
army
of
Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah
in 638, during the Caliphate of
Umar ibn al-Khattab
.
[8]
According to the 9th-century Muslim chronicler
al-Baladhuri
, Apamea's inhabitants greeted the Muslim army festively,
[9]
and accepted the imposition of
jizya
and land taxes.
[8]
[9]
By the end of the year, the entire
Levant
came under Muslim rule. Apamea became known as
Afamiyya
or
Famiyyah
by the Muslims during the medieval era. In 891 Arab geographer
al-Yaqubi
visited Afamiyya, noting that it consisted of the ruins of an "ancient Greek city ... situated on a large lake."
[8]
[9]
In 998 the Byzantines besieged Afamiyya, then held by the
Fatimids
, but Egyptian reinforcements relieved the citadel and
decisively defeated
the Byzantine forces on 19 July.
[10]
In 1106 the citadel of Afamiyya (
Qal'at al-Madiq
), which overlooked the ancient ruins, was purchased by the
Nizari Isma'ilis
(also known as the
Assassins
) under the leadership of
Abu Tahir al-Sa'igh
, making it the first castle to be acquired by the group in the Levant.
[5]
The place had been mostly inhabited by Isma'ilis prior to its purchase from the Fatimid-appointed Egyptian lord who governed it. Abu Tahir was encouraged by
Ridwan
, the
Seljuk ruler of Aleppo
, to take the fortress, believing the Ismailis would be more ambitious in strengthening its defenses against the Crusaders of
Antioch
. However, they were ousted a few months later by the Crusaders under the leadership of
Tancred of Antioch
in what was likely the first military confrontation between the Ismailis and the Crusaders. Initially, Tancred besieged the fortress and subsequently made terms with the Ismailis in return for tribute, but later captured it in a second assault. The Isma'ilis and Abu Tahir fled to Aleppo for refuge, but were later executed by
Alp Arsl?n al-Akhras
, Ridwan's son and successor, on orders from the Seljuk sultan and amid public resentment of the Isma'ilis.
[11]
According to his own memoirs,
Usama ibn Munqidh
led a small force from
Shaizar
, together with several
Bedouin
raiders, to launch an attack against the Crusader garrison in Afamiya and to plunder its cultivable lands, in 1119.
[12]
By 1149, Afamiyya was once again under Muslim control.
[13]
In 1154 an earthquake severely damaged Afamiyya along with Shaizar and
Kafr Tab
.
[14]
During the reign of the Zengid ruler
Nur ad-Din
(1146?1174), the modern Qalaat al-Madiq fortress was constructed.
[3]
In the 1220s, Syrian geographer
Yaqut al-Hamawi
wrote that Afamiyya was the center of a district that was part of the larger
Hims Province
. In the early 14th century,
Abu'l Fida
noted that Afamiyya was part of the district of
Shaizar
.
[8]
Ottoman era
[
edit
]
View of the Ottoman caravansary (
khan
) at Qalaat al-Madiq, 2010
Qalaat al-Madiq was part of
Eyalet Aleppo
("Province of Aleppo") in the early 19th century. In 1811 the fortified town, which virtually guarded the entrance to the al-Ghab plain, was commandeered by Mulla Isma'il, an autonomous Kurdish warlord who rebelled against the Ottoman authorities in Syria after falling from their grace. The imperial
janissary
contingent in Qalaat al-Madiq had evacuated the fortress after its takeover by Mulla Isma'il. Together with
Ariha
and
Jisr al-Shughur
, both of which were also controlled by autonomous lords, the three towns formed a triangle where rebellious tribes, particularly the
Mawali
, and
aghawat
("lords") could find safe haven from the authorities.
[15]
In the late 19th century the village was located within the walls of the fortress and its inhabitants were impoverished
Bedouins
.
[16]
Modern era
[
edit
]
In the early 20th century the citadel was the only part of Qalaat al-Madiq that was inhabited.
[17]
However, currently the area of town has expanded significantly, occupying the hillside areas west and south of the citadel, along the main road towards al-Suqaylabiyah.
[18]
During the ongoing
Syrian Civil War
, anti-government rebels gained control over much of the town, but the
Syrian Army
has maintained its position in the fortress, which overlooks the town. In September 2011 the police were evicted from the town by the rebels there. Services are provided to Qalaat al-Madiq's residents by rebel groups in the town, the largest of which is Suqour al-Ghab faction which fights under the banner of the
Free Syrian Army
.
[19]
In March 2012 Qalaat al-Madiq was shelled and targeted by heavy fire for a successive 17 days by the Syrian Army in an attempt to oust rebel forces. On 28 March the army entered the town, but were unable to take full control of it. Clashes resulted in the deaths of five rebels, four army soldiers and four civilians according to the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
.
[20]
Since the March clashes, there has been a relative ceasefire between the two sides,
[19]
with a few incidents where the army has allegedly attacked demonstrations, which have continued in Qalaat al-Madiq, as of late November 2012. The protests are not solely against the government, and are sometimes directed against the rebels, mostly to demand better services. A small number of people from the nearby Christian city of
al-Suqaylabiyah
have occasionally participated in demonstrations in Qalaat al-Madiq.
[21]
The fortress was under control of the
Free Syrian Army
, mostly composed of Syrian Sunni Muslims, by 2012. As of early 2016, the
al-Nusra Front
controlled the fortress.
[22]
It was retaken by the
Syrian Government
in May 2019, during the
2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
.
[4]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
General Census of Population and Housing 2004
[
permanent dead link
]
.
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics
(CBS). Hama Governorate.
(in Arabic)
- ^
Holliday, Joseph.
The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War
. March 2013. p. 21.
- ^
a
b
Cunliffe, Emma.
Syria: Past, Present and Preservation
. Durham University and the Global Heritage Fund. August 2011.
- ^
a
b
"Government forces capture strategic town northwest Syria"
.
english.alarabiya.net
. 9 May 2019
. Retrieved
2019-05-09
.
- ^
a
b
Willey, 2005, p. 240.
- ^
Socin, 1894, p. 398.
- ^
a
b
Treadgold, pp. 287-322
- ^
a
b
c
d
le Strange, 1890, p. 384.
- ^
a
b
c
Baladhuri, pp. 201-202.
- ^
Bury, p.
?
.
- ^
Willey, 2005, p. 42.
- ^
Ibn Munqidh, 2000, p. 67.
- ^
Prawer, 1972, p. 267.
- ^
Ibn Munqidh, 2000, p. 6.
- ^
Douwes, 2000, p. 117.
- ^
Socin, 1894, p. 399.
- ^
Bell, 1907, p. 242.
- ^
Carter, 2008, p. 168.
- ^
a
b
Enders, David.
In northern Syria, rebels now control many towns and villages
Archived
2012-06-12 at the
Wayback Machine
.
McClatchy Newspapers.
2012-06-06.
- ^
Syria forces in assaults despite peace pledge
.
Agence France-Presse
. 2012-03-28.
- ^
Enders, David.
In Syrian towns rebels control, demonstrators sometimes target them
.
McClatchy Newspapers
. 2012-11-30.
- ^
"Qalaat al-Madiq Fortress controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra"
.
Getty Images
. 16 March 2016.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Ahmad ibn Yahya, al-Baladhuri (1916).
The Origins of the Islamic State: Translated by Phillip Khuri Hitti
. Columbia University Press.
- Bell, Gertrude Lowthian (1907).
Syria: The Desert & the Sown
. E. P. Dutton and Company.
- Bury, J. B.
The Cambridge Medieval History
. Vol. 1?5. Plantagenet Publishing.
- Carter, Terry John (2008).
Syria & Lebanon 3
. Lonely Planet.
ISBN
978-1741046090
.
- Douwes, Dick (2000).
The Ottomans in Syria: a history of justice and oppression
. I.B. Tauris.
ISBN
1860640311
.
- Usama, Ibn Munqidh (2000).
An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Us?mah Ibn-Munqidh (Kit?b Al-I?tib?r); Translated from the Original Manuscript by Philip K. Hitti
. Columbia University Press.
ISBN
0231121245
.
- Moosa, Matti (1987).
Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects
. Syracuse University Press.
ISBN
0-8156-2411-5
.
- Joshua, Prawer (1972).
The Crusaders' kingdom: European colonialism in the Middle Ages
. Praeger.
ISBN
9781842122242
.
- Socin, Albert (1906).
Palestine and Syria with the chief routes through Mesopotamia and Babylonia: Handbook for Travellers
. Karl Baedeker.
Birin Hama.
- le Strange, Guy (1890).
Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500
. Committee of the
Palestine Exploration Fund
.
- Tonghini, Cristina (2011).
Shayzar I: The Fortification of the Citadel
. BRILL.
ISBN
978-9004217362
.
- Treadgold, Warren (1997).
A History of the Byzantine State and Society
. Stanford University Press.
- Willey, Peter; Institute of Ismaili Studies (2005).
Eagle's nest: Ismaili castles in Iran and Syria
. I.B.Tauris.
ISBN
978-1-85043-464-1
.
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Hama
Subdistrict
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Hirbnafsah
Subdistrict
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Suran
Subdistrict
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Hamraa
Subdistrict
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Al-Suqaylabiyah
Subdistrict
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Shathah
Subdistrict
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Tell Salhab
Subdistrict
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Ziyarah
Subdistrict
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Qalaat al-Madiq
Subdistrict
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Masyaf
Subdistrict
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Awj
Subdistrict
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Ayn Halaqim
Subdistrict
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Jubb Ramlah
Subdistrict
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Wadi al-Uyun
Subdistrict
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Mahardah
Subdistrict
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Kafr Zita
Subdistrict
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Karnaz
Subdistrict
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Salamiyah
Subdistrict
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Barri
Subdistrict
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Sabburah
Subdistrict
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Uqayribat
Subdistrict
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Saan
Subdistrict
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