Tell Aran Explained

Official Name:Tell Aran
Native Name:تل عرن
Pushpin Map:Syria
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Aleppo
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:al-Safira
Subdivision Type3:Subdistrict
Subdivision Name3:Tell Aran
Settlement Type:Village
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2004 census
Population Total:17767
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Coordinates:36.1231°N 37.3369°W

Tell Aran (Arabic: تل عرن; also spelled, Tell Arn; ancient Arne) is a Kurdish-majority town[1] [2] [3] in northern Syria, administratively part of the al-Safira District of the Aleppo Governorate, located southeast of Aleppo close to Sabkhat al-Jabbul. Nearby localities include Tell Hasil, al-Nayrab and Tell Shughayb to the northwest and al-Safira to the southeast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Tell Aran had a population of 17,767 in the 2004 census.[4] The town is famous for its grapes, vineyards and gardens.The number of residents of Talaar has exceeded 60,000, especially after the large numbers of people displaced from the city of Aleppo to it due to the bloody war in Syria. The affairs of the town of Talaran are managed through its municipality, which is elected by members of the Baath Party. Muhammad Shadi Murad is currently heading the municipality of Talaran, succeeding Mr. Haitham Hamam.[5]

History

The archaeological mound is the largest tell in the Aleppo region[6] and measures around in height and in width. It is believed to be the site of the ancient Iron Age settlement of Arne. Arne was first inhabited by the Arameans, and served as the first royal capital of the Aramaean kingdom of Bit Agusi. The kingdom of Bit Agusi stretched from the Azaz area in the north to Hamath in the south,[7] and was established by Gus of Yahan in the 9th-century BCE.[8]

In Assyrian records, the city is observed as the seat of Arame, son of the founder of the kingdom. It was sacked by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III in 849 BC during one of his campaigns in the west, as attested by a bronze band found at Balawat. After the city's sacking, Arpad (modern Tell Rifaat) became the capital of the kingdom of Bit Agusi.[9] The modern site still contains the remains of massive mud-brick walls measuring in width. Excavations at the site produced pottery corresponding to human occupation during the Iron Age II, but not Iron Age I. Tell Aran is also possibly the site of a major battle between the Egyptian king Thutmose III and a Mitannian army which ended with a crushing defeat to the king of Mitanni.[10]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Spyer . Jonathan . 15 August 2013 . Al-Qaida battles Kurds in Syria . Jerusalem Post . 7 December 2016 .
  2. News: Nasro . Jan . 18 October 2015 . ISIS jihadists pound Kurdish town near Aleppo, casualties reported . https://web.archive.org/web/20151020071847/http://aranews.net/2015/10/isis-jihadists-pound-kurdish-town-near-aleppo-casualties-reported/ . dead . October 20, 2015 . ARA News . 7 December 2016 .
  3. News: van Wilgenburg . Wladimir . 11 August 2013 . US Condemns Jihadist Attacks on Syrian Kurds . Al-Monitor . 7 December 2016 .
  4. https://archive.today/20120723164122/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-35-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004
  5. Le Strange, 1890, p. 542.
  6. Lipiński, 2000, p. 208.
  7. Lipiński, 2000, p. 99.
  8. Lipiński, 2000, p. 195.
  9. Bryce, 2009, p. 64.
  10. Lipiński, 2000, p. 198.