Al-Hawash الحواش | |
|---|---|
 Al-Hawash skyline | |
  Al-Hawash Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:34°45′53″N36°19′8″E / 34.76472°N 36.31889°E /34.76472; 36.31889 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Homs |
| District | Talkalakh |
| Subdistrict | Hawash |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 4,067 |
Al-Hawash (Arabic:الحواش /ALA-LC:al-Ḥwāsh) is aGreek OrthodoxChristians town in northwesternSyria, administratively belonging to theHoms Governorate. Nearby towns includeal-Husn andMarmarita to the west,Shin to the east andTalkalakh to the southwest. According to theCentral Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Hawash had a population of 4,067 in 2004.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlyChristians, much like most of the villages in the area. The village has twoGreek Orthodox Church and aGreek Catholic Church.[2][3]
Its location in the midst of a coniferous mountain makes it a popular and favored summer destination. Hawash is the largest village inWadi al-Nasara ("Valley of Christians") region.[4] It is an important historic site and used to be a popular tourist attraction before the outbreak of theSyrian civil war.
The nameHawash is derived fromHoshe which is Arabic for "Corsage" or place of flowers.[5]It has been also suggested thatWash is a word form an oldSyriac language which mean 'the good soil'.
Al-Hawash is said to date to the 18th-century. Along with many other villages in the area, the earliest inhabitants of Hawash had immigrated from the southernHauran plain. It has buildings built as early as the late 17th century.[6]
In 1838, the villagers were noted as beingGreek OrthodoxChristians.[7]
