Akakir عكاكير Akakeer | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Akakir Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:34°52′22″N36°23′44″E / 34.87278°N 36.39556°E /34.87278; 36.39556 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Masyaf |
| Subdistrict | Awj |
| Elevation | 759 m (2,489 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 2,495 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Akakir (Arabic:عكاكير, also spelledAkakeer) is a village in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate, located southwest ofHama. Nearby localities includeKafr Ram to the west,Fahel to the south,al-Shinyah to the southeast,al-Taybah al-Gharbiyah to the east,Maryamin to the northeast andKafr Kamrah andAwj to the north. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Akakir had a population of 2,495 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlyAlawites.[2]
In 1829, during theLate Ottoman period, Akakir was part of Jabal Gharbi, a fiscal region inhabited by members of the Alawite community,[3] and paid 1,812qirsh to satisfy thetakalif, a tax meant to cover the expenses of the annualhajj ("pilgrimage") toMecca. This was a decrease from 1818 when the village paid 2,312 qirsh.[4] It was classified as an Alawite village in 1838 by English scholarEli Smith.[2] In 1929 Akakir was one of five villages (the other three wereal-Bayyadiyah,al-Rusafa,Abu Qubays andBaarin) to be ceded to theAlawite State from theqadaa ("subdistrict") ofMasyaf of the Sanjak of Hama.[5]
