Khirbet Ghazaleh خربة غزالة Khirbet Ghazalah | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Entrance to Khirbet Ghazaleh | |
  Khirbet Ghazaleh | |
| Coordinates:32°44′N36°12′E / 32.733°N 36.200°E /32.733; 36.200 | |
| Grid position | 262/239 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa |
| District | Daraa |
| Subdistrict | Khirbet Ghazaleh |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 16,240 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Khirbet Ghazaleh (Arabic:خربة غزالة also spelledKhirbet Ghazalah) is a town in theDaraa Governorate, roughly 17 kilometers northeast ofDaraa adjacent toDa'el in the west and nearIzra' to the north. It is situated on the main highway betweenDamascus andAmman. In the 2004 census by theCentral Bureau of Statistics Khirbet Ghazaleh had a population of 16,240.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlyMuslims.[2]
In 1596 it appeared in theOttomantax registers under the name ofKutaybit Tamir, being part of thenahiya of Bani Malik al-Asraf, in theHauran Sanjak. It had an entirelyMuslim population consisting of 29 households and 12 bachelors. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 40% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and bee-hives; a total of 12,700akçe. Two-thirds of the income went to aWaqf.[3]
In 1805,Ulrich Jasper Seetzen found it to be "a bad, ruined village where 100 Muhammadan and 15Greek Christian families lived". According to the Christian priest of the time,Chirhet el-Ghazale was formerly the seat of Syrian kings and was called "Soria", "even the apartment of the former ruler could still be seen".[4] ByBurckhardt's time, the place had crumbled.[5]
In 1838, its inhabitants were again noted as being Muslim.[2][6]
In 1897,Gottlieb Schumacher noted that this "very large village consists of [] over 200 houses and 1000 to1200 inhabitants. Three large water reservoirs with oldsarcophagi astroughs and many old buildings can be found, but no inscriptions. Themadaf (guesthouse) is spacious and well built and surrounded by a paved courtyard."[5]
Khirbet Ghazaleh's residents have participated in protests against the Syrian government and have hosted oppositionFree Syrian Army (FSA) during theSyrian uprising.[citation needed] On 14 November 2011, following an FSA attack on a security police bus traveling on a nearby intersection, theSyrian Army launched an armor-backed assault against the town, resulting in the deaths of 20 FSA members, local opposition fighters and civilians. According to an opposition activist in Khirbet Ghazaleh, the FSA clashed with the Syrian Army troops whileBedouins from surrounding villages arrived to aid the town's residents.[7]
On 18 March 2012 opposition armed groups destroyed an overpass on the main highway with the stated purpose of blocking the arrival of army tanks to the area. The state-ownedSyrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed the bombing of the bridge and estimated the costs of damage to be over $5 million.[8]
On 8 May 2013, the Syrian army captured the town after a ferocious two-month bombardment, regaining control of an international transit route, according to opposition sources.[9] Khirbet Ghazaleh acted as a vital logistical town forSyrian Armed Forces during theDaraa offensive (February–May 2014).
Capital:Daraa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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