Ira عرى Areh, 'Ara, Era, Ora | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Ira | |
| Coordinates:32°37′2″N36°31′53″E / 32.61722°N 36.53139°E /32.61722; 36.53139 | |
| Grid position | 294/225 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Suwayda |
| District | Suwayda |
| Subdistrict | Suwayda |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 6,136 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Ira (Arabic:عرى; also spelledAreh,′Ara,Era orOra) is a village in southeasternSyria, administratively part of theSuwayda District of theSuwayda Governorate, located south ofSuwayda. According to the 2004 census, it had a population of 6,136.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlyDruze, with aChristian andSunni Muslim Bedouin minorities.[2] It is one of the villages of theJabal al-Druze region.[3]
In 1596 the village appeared under the name of "Timri" in theOttomantax registers as part of thenahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Nasiyya in theQadaa of Hauran. It had aMuslim population consisting of twenty-five households and fourteen bachelors, and aChristian population of five households. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 40% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; the taxes totaled 16,000akçe.[4]
In 1838 'Ira was reported to be populated withDruze andAntiochian Greek Christians.[5]
'Ira was resettled by Druze migrants in the early 19th century. It was controlled by theAl Hamdan family, who used it as a secondary headquarters. The Al Hamdan were ousted from 'Ira in 1857 byIsmail al-Atrash. This marked the consolidation ofBani al-Atrash supremacy inJabal Hauran over the Al Hamdan.[6] Following Ismail's death in 1869, his son Ibrahim became head of the family and was recognized byRashid Pasha, governor ofDamascus, as governor of 'Ira.[7] His brother succeeded him in 1883 and based himself in 'Ira. The village was attacked by Ruwala tribesmen in 1893 during hostilities between the Bani al-Atrash and the Ottomans. Four residents were killed.[8]
In 2011, theMelkite Greek Catholic Church had approximately 600 believers.[9]
Capital:Suwayda | |||||||||||||||
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