Al-Yacoubiyah اليعقوبية Եագուպիէ | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 The village as seen from St. Anna church | |
  Al-Yacoubiyah | |
| Coordinates:35°55′20″N36°18′52″E / 35.922250°N 36.314426°E /35.922250; 36.314426 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Jisr al-Shughur |
| Subdistrict | Al-Janudiyah |
| Elevation | 460 m (1,510 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 476 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Website | Official Website |
Al-Yacoubiyah (Arabic:اليعقوبية,romanized: al-Yaʿqūbīyah,Armenian:Եագուպիէ; also spelledYacoubiyeh,Yakoubieh,Yacoubeh orYaqoubiyah) is a Christianvillage in north-westSyria, administratively part of theJisr ash-Shugur District, subordinate to theIdlib Governorate, located west ofIdlib and just southeast of theborder with Turkey. It is situated in a well-forested mountain above theOrontes River,[1] with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level. Nearby localities includeQunaya adjacent to the east,Kafr Debbin further to the east, thenahiyah ("subdistrict") center ofal-Janudiyah to the south,al-Malnad to the west andZarzur to the north.[2]
According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Yacoubiyah had a population of 476 in the 2004 census.[3] Its inhabitants are mostly Christians, roughly split into theArmenian Apostolic andCatholic denominations.[4] The surrounding areas are predominantly inhabited bySunni Muslims.[1] There are two Armenian Apostolic churches in al-Yacoubiyah: Saint Anna (Armenian:Սբ. Աննա) and Saint Hripsime (Armenian:Սբ. Հռիփսիմե). The last one is built similar toEjmiatsin's Saint Hripsime. There is also one Armenian Catholic church.[1]
Al-Yacoubiyah, along with the nearby localities ofKesab and Ghenamiyah, were settled by theArmenian community between the 8th and 12th centuries CE.[5]
In 1929, by the efforts ofArmenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and theArmenian Prelacy, Diocese ofAleppo, an Armenian school was built in the village, whereArmenian is taught alongsideArabic.
During the ongoingSyrian Civil War which began in 2011, in late January 2013, al-Yacoubiyah was captured byanti-government rebels. Most of the fighting for the village's capture centered on aSyrian Army post at the village entrance and government troops subsequently withdrew toJisr al-Shughur. While al-Yacoubiyah's infrastructure was not significantly damaged and no residents were killed in the clashes, many of its abandoned houses and businesses were looted. Rebels commandeered some of the empty houses of the village, claiming they received permission by its residents. According to local residents, many of al-Yacoubiyah's Armenians have fled the village while most of its Catholics remained. Today, the village is under administration by theTahrir al-Sham rebel organisation.[1]
