Al-Laqbah اللقبة Al-Laqbeh | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Al-Laqbah Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°9′46″N36°19′26″E / 35.16278°N 36.32389°E /35.16278; 36.32389 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Masyaf |
| Subdistrict | Masyaf |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 1,908 |
Al-Laqbah (Arabic:اللقبة, also spelledal-Laqbeh orLaqbee) is a town in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate, located west ofHama. It is situated along the edge of theOrontes River valley,[2] on the main road betweenMasyaf and northern Syria.[3] Nearby localities includeDeir Mama to the south,Jubb Ramlah andHanjur to the northeast,Deir Shamil to the north andal-Annazah to the west. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Laqbah had a population of 1,908 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlyAlawites.[4]
Al-Laqbah has been identified as theBronze Age village of "Rugaba" listed byThutmose III.[5]Al-Laqbah is the site of a formerCrusader fort known then as "Laqoba,"[2][4] originally under the authority of thePrincipality of Antioch. It was ceded byBohemond III of Antioch to theKnights Hospitallers in 1168.[4]
In the late 1970s a water project was developed in al-Laqbah which serves as the source of water for ten villages in the Tartus Governorate, six inLatakia Governorate and five in the Hama Governorate.[6] Al-Laqbah is the birthplace ofMuhammad Nasif Khairbek, the Deputy Vice President for Security Affairs in the Syrian government. Other members of the Nasif family of Laqbah have senior positions in the various security branches of the country.[7]
