Qulay'a قليعة Qulay'at, Qleiat | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 The ruined hilltop fortress of Qulay'a and the modern village below, 2015 | |
  Qulay'a | |
| Coordinates:34°56′50″N36°14′57″E / 34.94722°N 36.24917°E /34.94722; 36.24917 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Duraykish |
| Subdistrict | Dweir Ruslan |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 1,360 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Qulay'a (Arabic:قليعة,romanized: Qulayʾa), also transliteratedQulay'at orQleiat) is a village and medieval citadel in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theTartus Governorate. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Qulay'a had a population of 1,360 in the 2004 census.[1] The fortress of Qulay'a was one of the several held by theNizari Ismaili state in theSyrian coastal mountains and is locally known asAl-Sheikh Deeb Castle (Arabic:قلعة الشيخ ديب,romanized: Qal'at Sheikh Dib). The fortress stands at an elevation of 730 meters (2,400 ft) above sea level.[2]
The Nizari Isma'ilis took control of Qulay'a around the time they came into control ofMasyaf in 1140–1141.[3] Between 1270 and 1273, Qulay'a was among several of the Nizari Isma'ili castles to have surrendered to theMamluk sultanBaybars and annexed into the Mamluk realm.[4]
During theOttoman period, Qulay'a was the center of a minornahiye (subdistrict) in the hill country west ofHama.[2] It was mentioned in Ottoman tax records from 1547 and 1645.[5] Unlike many other formerCrusader or Nizari Isma'ili fortresses during that period, where the inhabitants of the fortress wereSunni Muslims orIsma'ili Shia Muslims amid a largelyAlawite-populated countryside, by the 17th century the inhabitants of the Qulay'a castle itself wereAlawites.[6]
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Also See:Castles in Syria | ||
