| Al-Haffah | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Native Name: | ٱلْحَفَّة |
| Pushpin Map: | Syria |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Syria |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Latakia |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | al-Haffah |
| Subdivision Type3: | Subdistrict |
| Subdivision Name3: | al-Haffah |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population As Of: | 2004 census |
| Population Total: | 4,298 |
| Population Metro: | 23,347 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Coordinates: | 35.5986°N 36.035°W |
| Elevation M: | 310 |
Al-Haffah (Arabic: ٱلْحَفَّة|al-Ḥaffah) is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located 33km (21miles) east of Latakia. It is the centre of al-Haffah District, one of the four districts (mantiqah) of the Latakia Goverorate. Located at an average height of 310m (1,020feet) above sea level, al-Haffa's population was 4,298 in 2004 according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Together with the surrounding villages in the al-Haffa subdistrict (nahiya) greater al-Haffa had a population of 23,347.[1] Half of the town's inhabitants are Sunni Muslim,[2] about 40% are Alawite, while Christians constitute about 10% of the population. The communities have lived together in al-Haffah for centuries.[3]
The residents of al-Haffa are largely involved in agriculture. The town produces many types of fruits such as olive, fig, pomegranate, apple and pear.
Al-Haffa is surrounded with mountains and located just 7 km to the west of Salah Ed-Din Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has an ancient history starting with the settlement of the Phoenicians. Later on, it became a strategic point for the invading Crusaders.
Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi visited al-Haffah in the early 13th-century, during Ayyubid rule, and noted that it was a district to the west of Halab (Aleppo), comprising many villages. The cloths called Haffiyyah come from here ..."[4]
In 1919 al-Haffah was part of the mini-revolt led by Umar al-Bitar in the Sahyun region of which al-Haffah was the center.[5] Around this time, it joined the revolt of Saleh al-Ali which was in alliance with al-Bitar.[6]