Asilah, Syria Explained

Official Name:Asilah
Native Name:أصيلة
Native Name Lang:ar
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Syria
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Syria
Coordinates:35.1969°N 36.4889°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Hama
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Masyaf
Subdivision Type3:Subdistrict
Subdivision Name3:Jubb Ramlah
Population Total:5,790
Population As Of:2004
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3

Asilah (Arabic: أصيلة, also spelled Asileh and Asila) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located west of Hama. Nearby localities include Khunayzir and Mhardeh to the northeast, Maarzaf to the east, Umm al-Tuyur to the southeast, Deir al-Salib to the south, Hanjur to the southwest, Jubb Ramlah to the west, Tell Salhab to the northwest and Safsafiyah to the north. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Asilah had a population of 5,790 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites.[2]

Syrian Civil War

In March of 2012, five villagers were killed by opposition gunmen and a teacher kidnapped, after its residents were accused of taking part in government military operations against the neighboring village of Halfaya.[3] In retaliation, militiamen from the village are widely believed to have taken part in the Al-Qubeir massacre in conjunction with the Syrian Army. Three more villagers were killed on September 6, 2017, after it was shelled by Jaysh al-Izza members, who accused residents of taking part in the killing of eleven civilians in the nearby village of Maarzaf.[4]

Notes and References

  1. https://archive.today/20130112210411/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB05-16-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004
  2. News: Dagher . Sam . 9 June 2012 . U.N. Reaches Site of Syria Massacre . 9 July 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  3. Book: Bishara, Azmi . Syria 2011-2013: Revolution and Tyranny before the Mayhem . 1 December 2022 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 9780755645442 . 178.
  4. Web site: 6 September 2017 . As a result of Al-Hawat massacre against 11 citizens … The factions renew their targeting to areas controlled by the regime forces in the western countryside of Hama . 9 July 2024 . SOHR.