Diban ذِيبَان | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Diban | |
| Coordinates:35°00′56″N40°30′37″E / 35.01556°N 40.51028°E /35.01556; 40.51028 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Deir ez-Zor |
| District | Mayadin |
| Subdistrict | Diban |
| Control |  Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria[1] |
| Population (2004 census)[2] | |
• Total | 9,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Diban (Arabic:ذِيبَان,romanized: Ḏībān, also spelledThiban orZeiban) is a town in easternSyria, administratively part of theDeir ez-Zor Governorate, located along the eastern bank of theEuphrates River, south ofDeir ez-Zor, 17 kilometers south ofal-Busayrah and 13 kilometers north ofAl-Asharah.[3] Nearby localities includeAl Mayadin to the north and west, al-Hawayij to the northeast,Mahkan to the south west and al-Tayanah to the southeast. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Diban had a population of 9,000 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative seat of anahiyah ("subdistrict") which consists of ten localities with a total population of 65,079 in 2004.[2]
Part of Diban is situated on a hill called Tell Diban, which is also an archaeological site. Tell Diban is identified with the ancientAramean city of Rummunina,[3][4] a probable derivation of theAramaic wordrumman ("pomegranate").[3] The area and its surrounding fields served as a pre-war camp forAssyrian kingTukulti-Ninurta II's army during his last military campaign in 885 BCE. The king reported that Rummunina was situated along a canal of theKhabur River, a tributary of the Euphrates.[4] According to Belgian orientalistEdward Lipinsky, Tell Diban was "certainly occupied during theIron Age."[3]
During theSyrian Revolution, Diban was captured from the Syrian government by theFree Syrian Army but then occupied byISIL until theSyrian Democratic Forces captured the town on 18 November 2017 with massive support of the US-led coalition.[5]
On 25 September 2023, 18 local gunmen, three SDF members and a civilian were killed in clashes in the town.[6] The same day, tribal fighters seized the town.[7] On 7 August 2024, additional clashes occurred in the settlement between local tribes and the YPG.[8] On 20 January 2025, clashes occurred between local gunmen and SDF members.[9]
