Tell Mannas بلدة تلمنس | |
|---|---|
  Tell Mannas Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°38′28″N36°44′6″E / 35.64111°N 36.73500°E /35.64111; 36.73500 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib Governorate |
| District | Maarrat al-Nu'man |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 11,359 |
Tell Mannas (Arabic:بلدة تلمنس), sometimes spelledTelminnes,Tal Minnis,Talmanis,Talmanes orTelmans, is a village 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) east ofMaarrat al-Nu'man. The village is administratively a part of theMaarrat al-Nu'man District in theIdlib Governorate.[1] According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Tell Mannas had a population of 11,359 in the 2004 census.[2]
During the lateUmayyad period, the olive groves of Tall Mannas were used by the troops of CaliphMarwan II to ambush the rebel Umayyad princeSulayman ibn Hisham as he passed through the area.[3] In the early 9th century, Tall Mannas was controlled by theTanukhids under their chieftain al-Hawari ibn Hittin, during their rebellion against the Abbasid princely family, theBanu Salih.[4] Tall Mannas was used a residence by theAbbasid caliphal-Mutawakkil when he visited the area in 858.[5] It was described by local geographerYaqut al-Hamawi as a fortress nearMa'arrat al-Nu'man.[5]
In 1079, theTutush I ofDamascus besieged but failed to capture Tall Mannas during his campaign in northern Syria.[6] Later, in 1098/97 Tall Mannas was inhabited by Christian community ofOriental Orthodox Syriacs and its inhabitants gave safe haven and assistance to theCrusaders under Raymond Pilet of Antioch during their failed siege of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man.[6][7] Some months later,Ma'arrat al-Nu'man was captured and its entire population massacred by the Crusaders.[6]
