Dabiq دابق | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Dabiq Location of Dabiq in Syria | |
| Coordinates:36°32′14″N37°16′05″E / 36.5372°N 37.2681°E /36.5372; 37.2681 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | Azaz |
| Subdistrict | Akhtarin |
| Elevation | 449.18 m (1,473.7 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 3,364 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Geocode | C1597 |
Dabiq (Arabic:دابق[ˈdaːbiq]) is a town in northernSyria, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast ofAleppo and around 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Syria'sborder with Turkey. It is administratively part of theAkhtarinnahiyah (subdistrict) of theA'zaz District ofAleppo Governorate. Nearby localities includeMare' to the southwest,Sawran to the northwest, andAkhtarin town to the southeast. In the 2004 census, Dabiq had a population of 3,364.[1] The town was the site of thebattle of Marj Dabiq in 1516, in which theOttoman Empire decisively defeated theMamluk Sultanate.[2]
InIslamic eschatology, it is believed that Dabiq is one of two possible locations (the other isAmaq) for an epic battle between invading Christians and the defending Muslims which will result in a Muslim victory and mark the beginning of theend of times. TheIslamic terrorist groupIslamic State believes Dabiq is where an epic and decisive battle will take place with Christian forces of the West, and have namedtheir online magazine after the village.[2] After beingdriven out of the town of Dabiq by the Turkish military and Syrian rebels in October 2016, IS replaced this publication with a new one namedRumiyah.
During CaliphSulayman's reign (715–717), Dabiq, near theArab–Byzantine frontier, succeededJabiyah's role as the mainUmayyad military camp in northernSyria.[3]
Dabiq was visited by Syrian geographerYaqut al-Hamawi in the early 13th century, duringAyyubid rule. He noted that it was "a village of the 'Azaz District lying 4 leagues from Halab (Aleppo). Near it is a green and pleasant meadow, where theOmayyad troops encamped when they made thecelebrated expedition againstAl Massissah, which was to have been continued even to the walls ofConstantinople. Thetomb of CaliphSulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, who led the expedition, lies here."[4]
In August 2014, theIslamic State (IS) conquered the town, destroying the Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik shrine.[5] On 16 October 2016,Syrian National Army rebelscaptured the town from IS.[6][7]
InIslamic eschatology as found in theHadith, the area of Dabiq is mentioned as a place of some of the events of the Muslim Malahim (which would equate to the Christianapocalypse, orArmageddon).[8]Abu Hurayrah, companion to Muhammad, reported in his Hadith that Muhammad said:
The Last Hour would not come until the Romans land atal-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come fromMedina (to counteract them).[9]
Scholars and hadith commentators suggest that the wordRomans refers to Christians.[10] The hadith further relates the subsequent Muslim victory, followed by the peaceful takeover ofConstantinople with invocations oftakbir andtasbih, and finally the defeat of theMasih ad-Dajjal following the return and descent ofJesus Christ.[11][12]
