Al-Zarah الزارة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Al-Zarah Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:34°42′57″N36°15′20″E / 34.71583°N 36.25556°E /34.71583; 36.25556 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Homs |
| District | Talkalakh |
| Subdistrict | Talkalakh |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 4,336 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (EEST) |
Al-Zarah (Arabic:الزارة,romanized: al-Zārah, also spelledZara) is a village in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theHoms Governorate, located west ofHoms. Nearby localities include district centerTalkalakh to the south,Aridah to the southeast,Hadidah to the east,al-Husn andAnaz to the northeast,Zweitinah to the north,Tell Hawsh to the northwest,Naarah to the west andHalat to the southwest.
According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Zarah had a population of 4,336 in the 2004 census. It is second largest locality in the Talkalakhnahiyah ("subdistrict") which consists of 40 localities with a collective population of 62,069 in 2004.[1] The inhabitants of the town are predominantlySunni Muslims.[2]
In 1838, al-Zarah's population was listed asTurkmen.[3] It was one of a few Turkmen villages located in the mostly Alawite and Christian-populated area west ofal-Husn.[4]
Al-Zarah is the site of a medieval tower known asBurj Zahra, which in turn was built on the remains of aRoman era temple.[5] It was constructed by theCrusaders in sometime during the early 12th century and is among several isolated towers located in theHoms Gap region ofCounty of Tripoli. It served as a means of passive defense against the Muslim armies and was closely linked to the stronger, permanent fortresses of theKrak des Chevaliers,Safita,Margat andTortosa. It was largely ignored by medieval Latin and Arabic chroniclers.[6]
Burj Zara was built on a small podium with a ground plan of 121 square meters surrounded by greenery. The ruins of the ancient temple are strewn around the building. The tower itself was mostly constructed ofbasaltic rock, except for the edges of its doors and arches, which consist of white limestone that had probably been reused from the temple's remains. Only the northern wall is still standing and there are also remnants of the arches, the door and the steps of the stairway.[6]
