Tadef تادف | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Tadef Location of Tadef in Syria | |
| Coordinates:36°20′53″N37°31′48″E / 36.3480383°N 37.5299835°E /36.3480383; 37.5299835 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | al-Bab |
| Subdistrict | Tadef |
| Control | Syrian transitional government[1] |
| Population (2004)[2] | 12,360 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Tadef (Arabic:تادف; also spelledTedef orTadif) is a town southeast ofAl-Bab, about 20 miles (32 km) east ofAleppo,Syria and less than 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) south ofAl Bab.[3] The town, which is the site of a shrine to the Jewish prophetEzra (c. 400 BCE), was a popular summer resort for theJews of Aleppo.[4]
The village was inhabited during the 19th century byArabs belonging to the Aneyzeh tribe.[5] During the late 1800s, the village came under repeated attack bynomadic tribes who wished to steal sheep and cattle from the surrounding plains. Casualties were reported as the villagers were able to muster over 400 armed men to defend their flocks and herds.[6] At the time, about 20 Jewish families lived in the village,[7] which was described as a "Jewish town".[8] Before the festival ofShavuot, Jews from Aleppo made an annual pilgrimage to the village.[7]
In 1931, there were 15 Jewish families living in the town.[9]
On 30 November 2024, theSNA forces captured the town.[10] The pro-Turkish forces' control over the area did not end until theSIG was incorporated into theSyrian caretaker government at the end of January 2025.
Local tradition maintains thatEzra (c. 400 BCE) paused in the town on his way fromBabylon toJerusalem and built thesynagogue which still stands today.[11] In 1899,Max Freiherr von Oppenheim discovered 14th-centuryHebrew inscriptions at the synagogue.[12] There is a spring near the town calledEin el-Uzir, where it is said Ezra regularly immersed himself during his sojourn there.[13][14] A tomb ascribed to Ezra is also located in the town and has been intact for many centuries.[15] On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1414, Issac Elfarra ofMálaga was informed:
At a distance of two (sic) miles from [Aleppo] is the tomb of Ezra the Scribe. There Ezra recorded the Torah... This village is called Taduf [and contains] a synagogue... They [also] say that every night year round a cloud ascends from the tomb of Ezra never departing.[16]
There is also anothertomb attributed to Ezra nearBasra,Iraq.
| Governorate centres |  | |
|---|---|---|
| District centres |
| |
| Sub-district centres |
| |
