Salkhad صَلْخَد | |
|---|---|
 Salkhad fortress | |
  Salkhad Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:32°29′30″N36°42′40″E / 32.49167°N 36.71111°E /32.49167; 36.71111 | |
| PAL | 310/211 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Suwayda |
| District | Salkhad |
| Subdistrict | Salkhad |
| Elevation | 1,350 m (4,430 ft) |
| Population (2004 Census) | |
• Total | 9,155 |
| Area code | 16 |
Salkhad (Arabic:صَلْخَد,romanized: Ṣalḫad) is a Syrian city in theSuwayda Governorate, southernSyria.It is the capital ofSalkhad District, one of the governorate's three districts. It had a population of 9,155 inhabitants in the 2004 census.[1] In Salkhad,Druze make up the predominant population, whileChristians andSunni Muslim Bedouins represent a minority.[2]
It is located at 1350 metres above sea level in the centralJabal el Druze highlands.
The city is mentioned four times in theHebrew Bible as "Salcah" (Hebrew:סַלְכָּה,romanized: Salḵāh), a settlement in biblicalBashan.[3][4] Beginning in the second century BC Salcah was a flourishingNabataean city, where the godsDushara andAllat were worshiped. A dedication to the goddess Allat, dated to year 17 of the reign ofMalichus II, son ofAretas IV (AD 57), survives from the first century AD.[5]
Afterwards it was incorporated into theRoman province ofArabia, it was one of the important cities inHauran during Roman and laterByzantine epochs, Salkhad is indicated in theMadaba mosaic map of the sixth century AD.
Due to the strategic position of the city overlooking Hauran plains to the west, theAyyubid dynasty built a fortress in Salkhad between 1214–1247 to counter a possible attack of theCrusades into inner Hauran. It has also been said thatAl-Afdal was exiled here by his uncle andbrother.
The importance of the city decreased after the Crusades, and it was occasionally overrun byBedouins seeking pasture in the summer for their flocks.
In 1596, Salkhad appeared in theOttomantax registers asSalhad (Sarhad) and was part of thenahiya of Bani Malik as-Sadir in theHauran Sanjak. It had aMuslim population consisting of 55 households and 25 bachelors, and aChristian population of 50 households and 20 bachelors. The residents paid a fixed tax-rate of 40% onwheat,barley, summer crops, goats and beehives; a total of 36,500akçe.[6]
In 1838Eli Smith noted that the place in ruins.[7]
A number ofGreek Orthodox Christians, ofGhassanid ancestry, successively remained in the region. The town itself was abandoned in the late 18th century, but was repopulated byDruze and Greek Orthodox Christian families fromMount Lebanon beginning in 1858.[8]
DuringOttoman times, the city enjoyed a feudal-type autonomy like much of the Jabal el Druze area under the chieftaincy of Al-Hamdan family and laterAl-Atrash family, many battles against theOttoman Empire took place in this region by theDruze locals to maintain their autonomy.
In the early 20th century, the city was part of the 1921–1936Druze state under theFrench Mandate of Syria, the state was gradually incorporated into Syria after theSyrian Revolution of 1925–1927 led bySultan Al-Atrash.
The city now is the centre of Salkhad district ofSuwayda Governorate, it is the southernmost district in Syria.
Salkhad has acold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSk). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The average annual temperature in Salkhad is 14.8 °C (58.6 °F). About 291 mm (11.46 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Salkhad, elevation 1,447 m (4,747 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.8 (55.0) | 17.6 (63.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 27.2 (81.0) | 28.5 (83.3) | 29.2 (84.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 16.6 (61.9) | 10.3 (50.5) | 19.7 (67.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 5.3 (41.5) | 8.3 (46.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 17.2 (63.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 11.8 (53.2) | 6.5 (43.7) | 14.4 (57.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 7.5 (45.5) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 7.1 (44.8) | 2.5 (36.5) | 9.0 (48.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 80 (3.1) | 62 (2.4) | 65 (2.6) | 27 (1.1) | 8 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 10 (0.4) | 26 (1.0) | 60 (2.4) | 338 (13.3) |
| Source:FAO[10] | |||||||||||||
The fortress of Salkhad is the most important monument located in a hill inside the city, built between 1214 and 1247 by theAyyubid dynasty as a part of their defences against thecrusades. It is said that this fortress were built in the site of older Roman fortifications. A hexagonal basaltminaret still standing intact in the city's main square. Many Roman old time houses, still partially inhabited by locals. Nabatean, Roman and Ayyubid tombs are also there with decorative motifs.
32°29′30″N36°42′40″E / 32.49167°N 36.71111°E /32.49167; 36.71111
Capital:Suwayda | |||||||||||||||
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