Hisyah
Hisyah
حسياء Hasya | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Homs Governorate |
| District | Homs District |
| Nahiyah | Hisyah |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 5,435 |
Hisyah (Template:Lang-ar, also spelled Hasya, Hasiyah, Hesa or Hessia) is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located about 35 kilometers south of Homs. Situated on Highway 5 between Homs and Damascus, nearby localities include al-Qusayr and Rableh to the northwest, Shamsin and Jandar to the north, Dardaghan to the northeast, Sadad to the southeast and Bureij to the south. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Hisyah had a population of 5,425 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are mostly Sunni Muslims and Catholics.[2]
History
During the Neo-Assyrian period in Syria (9th century BCE – 7th century BCE), Hisyah served as a post station known as "Hesa" on the road to Damascus. During the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, it initially contained a full cohort of military craftsmen. Due to the small population in the area around Hesa, the cohort was later moved out and replaced by 30 Assyrian households subject to army recruitment. The village was managed by two junior military officials.[3]
During the later period of Ottoman Empire rule between the 18th and 19th centuries, Hisyah became a fortified garrison town headed by an agha. The garrison served as the dominant military faction in the Homs district and its commanders frequently served as district governors.[4] Along with the garrison at Ma'arat al-Numan, Hisyah played an important role in the pacification of the region between Damascus and Aleppo. In 1717 Hisyah's cavalry relieved the city of Hama from a Bedouin assault.[4] Ibrahim Agha was the garrison's chief at that time.[5]
In the mid-19th-century, Western traveler Josias Leslie Porter noted that Hisyah was walled and included a khan ("caravansary"). An agha and 150 nominal cavalry troops were stationed there in order to protect regional towns from Bedouin raids,[6] principally launched by clans belonging to the Anizzah tribe.[7] A few years prior to Porter's visit, the former agha and 18 of his soldiers were killed in an ambush by the local Walid Ali Bedouin tribe.[6] The village was mostly inhabited by Christians.[7]
The Suweidan family dominated Hisyah during the French Mandate period.[8] Today, one of the few Syrian road-police stations in the area between Homs and Damascus is located in Hisyah.[3] An industrial city, with a total area of 2,500 hectares was built in the town by the Syrian government in 2001.[9]
References
- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. Template:Ar icon
- ^ Smith, 1841, p. 173.
- ^ a b Weippert, 2002, pp. 138-139.
- ^ a b Douwes, 2000, p. 46.
- ^ Douwes, 2000, p. 47.
- ^ a b Porter, 1858, p. 550.
- ^ a b Baedeker, 1876, p. 556.
- ^ Atassi, Basel. Wasfi al-Atassi: Author of the First Constitution in Arab History. Atassi Family Official Website.
- ^ Hasya: Industrial City. Syrian Investment Agency. 2010.
Bibliography
- Baedeker, Karl (1876). Palestine and Syria, Handbook for Travellers. Vol. 1. Karl Baedeker.
- Douwes, Dick (2000). The Ottomans in Syria: a history of justice and oppression. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1860640311.
- Porter, Josias Leslie (1868). A Handbook for Travellers in Syria and Palestine. Vol. 1. Murray.
- Smith, Eli; Robinson, Edward (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the Year 1838. Vol. 3. Crocker and Brewster.
- Weippert, Manfred (2002). No Country By Itself. Saint-Paul. ISBN 3525530439.
