Al-Asharah ٱلْعَشَارَة | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Al-Asharah | |
| Coordinates:34°55′13″N40°33′34″E / 34.92028°N 40.55944°E /34.92028; 40.55944 | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Deir ez-Zor |
| District | Mayadin |
| Subdistrict | Al-Asharah |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 17,537 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Asharah (Arabic:ٱلْعَشَارَة,romanized: al-ʿAšārah, also spelledal-Ashareh orEsharah) is a town in easternSyria, administratively part of theDeir ez-Zor Governorate, located along theEuphrates River, south ofDeir ez-Zor. Nearby localities includeal-Quriyah to the northeast,Makhan andMayadin to the north,Suwaydan Jazirah to the southeast andDablan to the south. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Asharah had a population of 17,537 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative seat of anahiyah ("subdistrict") which consists of seven localities with a total population of 96,001 in 2004. Al-Asharah is the third largest locality in thenahiyah.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims from the Arabic tribes ofTayyAl-Rahabi andAl-Uqaydat.[2]
Al-Asharah is built on the site of the ancientAramean-Assyrian settlement ofTerqa.[3][4] Astele dated to 886 BCE honoring the victory of Assyrian kingTukulti-Ninurta II over the Arameans was found in al-Asharah. The stele is currently located in theNational Museum of Aleppo.[3] 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 ofArab huts and a population whose traditions suggested the place was ancient.[5] From around that time until the dissolution of theOttoman Empire in 1917, al-Asharah served as the center of akaza ("district"), bearing its name, that was part of the largerSanjak of Zor province. Thekaza had twonawahi: al-Asharah andal-Busayrah.[6]
In 1920, a meeting between officials and officers of theSharifian Army and the nascentKingdom of Syria was held in al-Asharah and hosted byEmir Faisal. There negotiations over the borders between Syria andIraq were discussed and it was concluded theAbu 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 theSyrian Civil War, the city was captured byISIL 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]
