Al-Qusayr, Daraa Governorate Explained

Official Name:Al-Qusayr
Native Name:القصير
Other Name:Ekseir
Pushpin Map:Syria
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Daraa
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Daraa
Subdivision Type3:Subdistrict
Subdivision Name3:Shajara
Settlement Type:Village
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2004 census
Population Total:674
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Coordinates:32.7425°N 35.8811°W
Grid Name:Grid position
Grid Position:232/238 PAL

Al-Qusayr (ar|القصير, also transliterated Ekseir) is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located west of Daraa. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qusayr had a population of 674 in the 2004 census.[1]

Geography

The village has an elevation of 350m (1,150feet) above sea level. It is near the deep northern bank of the Yarmuk River valley and overlooks the Yarmuk and the confluence of the Wadi al-Harir and Wadi al-Shilala streams. It was historically supplied by the Ayn al-Qusayr (Ain el-Ekseir) spring to the village's north.

History

Ottoman period

In 1596 Al-Qusayr appeared under the name of Qasir in the Ottoman tax registers being in the nahiya of Jawlan Garbi in the Hauran Sanjak. It had an entirely Muslim population consisting of 16 households and 10 bachelors. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, such as wheat (2,700 akçe), barley (450 a.), summer crops (550 a.), goats and beehives (200 a.); in addition to "occasional revenues" (100 a.) and tax on a water mill (30 a.); a total of 4,000 akçe.

In 1884 Gottlieb Schumacher noted al-Qusayr (which he spelled 'Ekseir') was a village of 100 inhabitants living in thirty-five stone and clay huts (some of which were deserted). Although it was had fertile lands, the population was in decline, a situation Schumacher attributed to the village's poor water quality.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: General Census of Population 2004.. 2014-07-10.