Aramo, Syria Explained

Aramo
Other Name:ʿAramo
Native Name:Arabic: عرامو
Armenian: Արամօ
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Syria
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Syria
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Latakia Governorate
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Al-Haffah District
Subdivision Type3:Nahiyah
Subdivision Name3:Slinfah
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2004 census
Population Total:490
Timezone1:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone1 Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Coordinates:35.6265°N 36.1316°W

Aramo (Arabic: عرامو, ʿAramo, Armenian: Արամօ, Aramo) is a Syrian village located in Latakia Governorate north west of the country. Aramo is just 30 km from the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Aramo had a population of 490 in the 2004 census.[1]

History

The village was part of the Ugaritic kingdom and was mentioned as 'Arime in the archives of the city c. 1300 BC.[2]

Armenians

The village is known to be populated by Armenians, but in 1947 they left in large numbers to Soviet Armenia. Now a few families live there. The town has an old Armenian church called Saint Stepanos built in 1310. It stands in the middle of the village. There are also some small churches carved in the rocks such as Surp Asdvadzadzin and Surp Kevork Armenian Apostolic churches. The Alawite Arabs also visit those two churches.

Nowadays, there is a small number of Armenian inhabitants in Aramo, most of whom speak the Arabic language. There was a census around 2021 by the Syrian government counting around 255 Armenians in total in the city, making them half of the city of Aramo's population.[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://archive.today/20121220140213/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB06-15-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004
  2. Book: Revue biblique. 106. Librairie V. Lecoffre. 333. 1999.
  3. Web site: Syria's Armenian community resilient, but faces uncertain future - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East.