Al-Sahwah السهوة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Al-Sahwah | |
| Coordinates:32°35′46″N36°22′4″E / 32.59611°N 36.36778°E /32.59611; 36.36778 | |
| Grid position | 278/222 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa |
| District | Daraa |
| Subdistrict | Al-Musayfirah |
| Occupation | Syrian Arab Army |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 3,950 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Sahwah (Arabic:السهوة, also spelledel-Sahoa orSahweh); also known asSahwat al-Qamh orSehwet el-Kamh is a village in southernSyria, administratively part of theDaraa Governorate, located east ofDaraa. Nearby localities includeal-Jiza to the southwest,Ghasm to the south,Maaraba, Daraa to the southeast,Umm Walad to the northeast,al-Musayfirah to the north andKahil to the west. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Sahwah had a population of 3,950 in the 2004 census, making it the least populous locality in the al-Musayfirahnahiyah ("subdistrict").[1]
In 1596 al-Sahwah appeared in theOttomantax registers under the name of Sahwat al-Qamh, as being part of thenahiya (subdistrict) ofButayna in theQada Hauran. It had aMuslim population consisting of 9 households and 4 bachelors. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 40% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives; a total of 3,300akçe.[2]
There are ruins of an ancient tower and a church in al-Sahwah. Although the buildings are of some significance, they do not differ much from the ancientRoman andByzantine architecture found throughout theHauran. The village did not have any Christian residents in the 19th century.[3]
In 1838 the village was classified as akhirba (abandoned village) by English biblical scholarEli Smith.[4] In the late 19th-century al-Sahwah had a population of about 350 people living in about 70 households. The village was vulnerable to incursions byDruze raiders, and also had a shortage of water sources. The villagers had to pay a certain sum to the Druzesheikhs (chiefs), in order to connect to a water-canal south of the village and fill the village reservoir. If, in the event of a bad harvest, they could not pay this sum, the village would face mass hunger and cattle had to be taken toBosra for water.[3]
Capital:Daraa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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