Al-Sawda السودا | |
|---|---|
  Al-Sawda | |
| Coordinates:34°58′56″N35°56′37″E / 34.98222°N 35.94361°E /34.98222; 35.94361 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Tartus |
| Subdistrict | Al-Sawda |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 4,064 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Sawda (Arabic:السودا, also spelledSauda oral-Soda) is a town in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theTartus Governorate, located 15 kilometers northeast ofTartus. Nearby localities includeAnnazah to the northeast,Maten al-Sahel to the northwest,Husayn al-Baher to the west,Dweir al-Shaykh Saad to the southwest,Awaru to the south,Khirbet al-Faras to the southeast andKhawabi to the east. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Sawda had a population of 4,064 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the al-Sawdanahiyah ("sub-district") which contained 27 localities with a collective population of 32,925 in 2004.[1] The inhabitants are predominantlyChristians,[2] of theGreek Orthodox Church.[3]
The nameal-Sawda is Arabic for "black" which reflects upon the blackbasaltic stone that al-Sawda's inhabitants previously used to construct the buildings of their town, including the main church. During the late Ottoman era, basalt-based masonry served as a principal industry in al-Sawda, employing up to 400 inhabitants by the beginning of the French Mandate period. The industry declined with the advent of cement and iron construction in the region.[4]
During theOttoman era (1516-1918), the administrative center of the vicinity ("subdistrict") was based at theSunni Muslim town and medieval castle ofKhawabi.[2] There are still several Ottoman-era structures as well as a church in the town.[5] However, during the period ofFrench Mandate rule that soon followed the Ottoman withdrawal from Syria, the center of the vicinity was moved to al-Sawda by the French authorities, because unlike Khawabi, al-Sawda's inhabitants did not participate in the1919 Syrian Revolt led bySheikh Salih al-Ali who hailed from the region.[2]
During the French Mandate, al-Sawda's status overtook that of Khawabi, as people who would normally being traveling to the latter for commercial transactions went to al-Sawda instead. While Khawabi rapidly declined, al-Sawda became a dynamic center having a clinic, a secondary school and a wide range of shops. However, in 1967, during the early stages ofBaathist rule in Syria, the center for themantiqah ("district") was relocated by the Ministry of Local Affairs toal-Shaykh Badr which in 1970 had a population of 467 (and a lack of services) compared to al-Sawda's population of 1,103.[2] Today al-Sawda is the center of anahiyah in theTartus District,[1] while al-Shaykh Badr has grown to become a significantly larger town and center of theal-Shaykh Badr District.
