Fan Shamali Explained

Official Name:Fan Shamali
Native Name:فان شمالي
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Syria
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Syria
Coordinates:35.3104°N 36.918°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Hama
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Hama
Subdivision Type3:Subdistrict
Subdivision Name3:Suran
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Total:1,877
Population As Of:2004
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3

Fan Shamali (Arabic: فان شمالي, also spelled al-Fan Ashamali or Fan esh-Shemali) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northeast of Hama. Nearby localities include Suran and Kawkab to the west, Ma'an to the northwest, Atshan to the north, Qasr Abu Samrah to the northeast, al-Hamraa to the east, Sabburah to the southeast, Fan Qibli and Zighrin to the south and Maar Shahur to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Fan Shamali had a population of 1,877 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims, although most of the surrounding villages and hamlets are inhabited by Alawites.[2]

Fan Shamali contains the ruins of a Byzantine tower dating back to 576 CE.[3]

In early September 2012, during the Syrian civil war, opposition activists reported that a "massacre" occurred in Fan al-Shamali committed by local members of the Shabiha, a pro-government militia. According to activists, at least 30 residents were killed, including women and children.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. https://archive.today/20130112163830/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB05-2-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004
  2. Hassan, Hassan. Anatomy of a massacre that bodes ill for Syria's future. The National. 2012-10-03.
  3. Boulanger, 1966, p. 376.