| Official Name: | Al-Asharah |
| Native Name: | Arabic: ٱلْعَشَارَة |
| Pushpin Map: | Syria |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Deir ez-Zor |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Mayadin |
| Subdivision Type3: | Subdistrict |
| Subdivision Name3: | Al-Asharah |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population As Of: | 2004 census |
| Population Total: | 17,537 |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Coordinates: | 34.9203°N 40.5594°W |
Al-Asharah (Arabic: ٱلْعَشَارَة|al-ʿAšārah, also spelled al-Ashareh or Esharah) is a town in eastern Syria, administratively part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, located along the Euphrates River, south of Deir ez-Zor. Nearby localities include al-Quriyah to the northeast, Makhan and Mayadin to the north, Suwaydan Jazirah to the southeast and Dablan to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Asharah had a population of 17,537 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative seat of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") which consists of seven localities with a total population of 96,001 in 2004. Al-Asharah is the third largest locality in the nahiyah.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims. From Arabians Tribes of Tayy Al-Rahabi and Al Uqaydat.[2]
Al-Asharah is built on the site of the ancient Aramean-Assyrian settlement of Terqa. A stele dated to 886 BCE honoring the victory of Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta II over the Arameans was found in al-Asharah. The stele is currently located in the National Museum of Aleppo.[3] Terqa was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian kingdom of Khana and continued to develop until the end of the Bronze Age when its decline began. Excavations in al-Asharah revealed evidence that Terqa contained urban institutions and its inhabitants had exploited the area's soil for economic benefit.[4]
In the mid-19th-century, it was noted by the Bombay Geographic Society that al-Asharah was a "little town" that consisted of an unorganized grouping of Arab huts and a population whose traditions suggested the place was ancient.[5] From around that time until the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, al-Asharah served as the center of a kaza ("district"), bearing its name, that was part of the larger Sanjak of Zor province. The kaza had two nawahi: al-Asharah and al-Busayrah.[6]
In 1920, a meeting between officials and officers of the Sharifian Army and the nascent Kingdom of Syria was held in al-Asharah and hosted by Emir Faisal. There negotiations over the borders between Syria and Iraq were discussed and it was concluded the Abu Kamal would remain a part of the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria.[7]
In the early 1960s al-Asharah was described as a small village built on an artificial mound where Terqa stood.[8]
During the Syrian Civil War, the city was captured by ISIL during the second half of 2014.[9] On 6 June 2016, it was bombed by regime forces, resulting in the death of 17 civilians.[10] The Syrian army captured town in 27 November 2017.[11] [12]