Al-Mukharram المخرم | |
|---|---|
| Al-Mukharram al-Fawqani | |
  Al-Mukharram Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:34°49′N37°5′E / 34.817°N 37.083°E /34.817; 37.083 | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Homs |
| District | Al-Mukharram |
| Subdistrict | Al-Mukharram |
| Elevation | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 6,202 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
Al-Mukharram (Arabic:المخرم), also known asMukharram al-Fawqani (Arabic:المخرم الفوقاني; also spelledMakhem Fuqani orMkhurem Fouqani) is a small city in centralSyria, capital of theal-Mukharram District, administratively part of theHoms Governorate, located 42 kilometres (26 miles) northeast ofHoms.[2]
In 1838 al-Mukharram was classified as akhirba ("ruined" or "abandoned" village") in the District ofSalamiyah.[3] The general region of the desert plains east of Homs and Hama was repopulated during the late 19th century by localBedouins and byIsmaili andAlawite peasants from the areas west of Homs and Hama, as well asCircassians.[2] The modern town was of al-Mukharram was founded in 1882, although its inhabitants struggled to make a living off the semi-arid region.[4]
In 1960, al-Mukharram was still an impoverished village populated byAlawite sharecropper families employed by landlords based inHoms. Under these circumstances, theSyrian Army provided an attractive alternative for the men of the village to advance socially and economically.[5] Various figures from the town have served in high-ranking positions in the Syrian military and security apparatus, includingMuhammad Umran, former Defense Minister (early 1966),[6] whose father had been a religious Alawiteshaykh and a local leader of the town. Other notable Syrian military figures from al-Mukharram include Ahmed Sa'id Salih, the former Chief ofPolitical Security (1970-1987) and deputy Interior Minister,Adnan Badr Hassan, another former Chief of Political Security (1987-2002),[7] and Abd al-Karim al-Razzuq the late 1970s commander of the missile corps and the air defense forces.[8]
In 1968, al-Mukharram became the capital of the district that has since shared its name, taking the place ofJubb al-Jarrah, the former district center.[9] Although the village's population was only 2,170 in 1970, well below the government-designated threshold required to become a district seat, the close relationship between the residents and the security establishment allowed for al-Mukharram to be promoted to is current role, according to anthropologistFabrice Balanche.[5]
The old city of al-Mukharram remains a commercial and residential area. The modern city contains a number of schools and community colleges, a weather station, a large carpet-production factory and a large warehouse for storing animal seeds. Agriculture and raising livestock, namely cattle and sheep, constitutes a major sector of al-Mukharram's economy. Grains are cultivated in the dry lands, vegetables in the plains, and olives, grapes,pistachios and almonds in irrigated lands in the hilly parts of the city.[2] The chief agricultural products are olives and almonds.[9] The latter crop has become the object of celebration, with residents holding an annual "Almond Festival" since 2010.[4]
Al-Mukharram is situated on a plain along the western fringes of theSyrian Desert, east of the centralOrontes River valley. It is located 42 kilometres (26 miles) northeast of Homs, thegovernorate capital, and south ofSalamiyah. Al-Mukharram's old city sits on the Tell al-Shayb hill, while the modern town has expanded up to 1.2 kilometres (0.7 miles) from and around the hill.[2] The city's area consists of some 600hectares.[2] Nearby localities includeal-Mukharram al-Tahtani to the northwest,Uthmaniyah to the north,Abu Hakfah al-Janubi to the northeast,Sankari andJubb al-Jarrah to the east,Umm Jabab andUmm Tuwaynah to the south andUmm al-Amad andBuwaydat Salamiyah to the west.
In a residential area of the city exists a cone-shaped domed structure built frommud brick and stone. It has a height of 3.4 metres (11.2 feet) and a diameter of 2.45 metres (8.04 feet). The structure has a wooden door and 13 square or triangle-shaped openings in the upper portion of the dome. It is currently used as a stable or barn and a home has been built adjacent to it. The oldest part of al-Mukharram is built on atell (archaeological mound), and there are several othertells to the northeast.[2]
According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Mukharram had a population of 6,202 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and largest locality in the al-Mukharramnahiyah ("subdistrict") which consisted of 30 localities with a collective population of 32,447 in 2004.[1] The inhabitants of al-Mukharram and the localities of its district are predominantly members of theAlawite community,[5] particularly from the Khayyatin tribal confederation.[10][11]
