كفرطاب | |
  Shown within Syria | |
| Alternative name | Kafr Tab orKafar Tab Known asCapharda by the Crusaders |
|---|---|
| Location | NorthwestSyria |
| Region | TheLevant |
| Coordinates | 35°27′33.2″N36°35′43.2″E / 35.459222°N 36.595333°E /35.459222; 36.595333 |
| Type | Fortification and town |
| History | |
| Periods | Medieval,Mamluk,Ottoman |
Kafartab (Arabic:كفرطاب, also spelledKafr Tab orKafar Tab, known asCapharda by the Crusaders) was a town and fortress in northwesternSyria that existed during the medieval period between the fortress cities ofMaarat al-Numan in the north andShaizar to the south.[1] It was situated along the southeastern slopes ofJabal al-Zawiya.[2] According to French geographer Robert Boulanger, writing in the early 1940s, Kafartab was "an abandoned ancient site" located 2.5 mi (4.0 km) northwest ofKhan Shaykhun.[3]
During theSecond Fitna, when theUmayyad army underYazid I killedHusayn, the grandson of the Islamic prophetMuhammad, the people of Kafartab were among the Syrian cities who mourned Husayn's death and condemned his killers.[4] During theAbbasid era, in the late 9th century CE, Kafartab was noted by medievalArab geographeral-Ya'qubi as a town "in a thirsty desert plain" with no springs in its vicinity. Its inhabitants collected water from rain showers to store for later use. In 985,al-Muqaddasi wrote that the town belonged toJund Hims (Homs Province).[5]
Kafartab was besieged by theBanu Kilab tribe in 1012 to pressure the emir of Aleppo,Mansur ibn Lu'lu', to release Kilabi prisoners being held in theCitadel of Aleppo; the attempt failed as Kafartab's defenders repelled the Kilabi tribesmen.[6] In 1026, when the region around the town was ruled by the KilabiMirdasid dynasty, the emir ofAleppo,Salih ibn Mirdas, awarded Kafartab to theBanu Munqidh as a feudal territory. The Banu Munqidh were a family from theKinanah tribe.[7] Until 1080, Kafartab served as their principal headquarters, after whichShaizar became their main fortress.[8] Kafartab's emir in 1041 was reported to be a member of the family named Muqallad.[7] In 1047, it was visited by thePersian travelerNasir Khusraw.[5]
The city was captured by a Crusader force led byRaymond of Saint-Gilles in 1100. During the early summer of 1104, its Antioch-based garrison abandoned Kafartab shortly after theSeljuks of Aleppo capturedMaarrat al-Numan andMaarrat Misrin from them.[9] In the summer of 1106, the PrinceTancred of Antioch once again brought Kafartab under Crusader control.[10] Throughout 1115, Kafartab switched hands from the Crusaders of Antioch to the Seljuks underemirBursuq and back to the Crusaders.[11] The Crusaders rebuilt and repopulated the town, which was heavily damaged in previous battles.[12] The SeljukemirAq Sunqur captured the town, which was attacked and captured byBohemond II of Antioch later that year.[13]
TheZengid leaderImad ad-Din Zengi conquered Kafartab and other fortress cities along the eastern frontier of Antioch's territories, such asAtarib, Maarrat al-Numan andZardana in the spring of 1135.[14] In the summer of1157, a massive earthquake nearly destroyed Kafartab and other major towns in the region and killed most of the Banu Munqidh family, including its chief Taj al-Dawla Nasir al-Din Muhammad.[15] Ten years later, the town was given toSaladin by the Zengid sultanNur ad-Din as a reward for his victories in defendingEgypt from the Crusaders.[16] Saladin returned to Egypt and overthrew itsFatimid rulers, founded theAyyubid dynasty and launched an invasion of Syria. As his forces approached the Zengid stronghold of Aleppo in 1176, he entered a truce with them that preserved their territory other than Kafartab, which he demanded be ceded back to him.[17] In 1178/9, Saladin handed the villages near Maarat al-Numan including Kafartab to be ruled by the Ayyubid emirShams ad-Din ibn al-Muqaddam,[18] as he tookBaalbek instead.[19] Kafartab was under the control ofaz-Zahir Ghazi, the Ayyubid emir of Aleppo in 1202. In 1241, Kafartab, then a part of the domain of the Banu al-Daya family, was sacked and looted by theKhwarazemids.[20]
In a treaty between theBahri Mamluk sultanBaibars and theKnights Hospitallers, Kafartab is confirmed as part of theMamluk territories.[21] During a conflict between SultanQalawun and his viceroySunqur al-Ashqar in 1281–82, the latter ceded Shaizar to Qalawun in exchange for Kafartab,Apamea, Antioch and other territories.[22] During the Mamluk period, Kafartab was a subdistrict town in the Halab Mamlaka (Aleppo Province),[23] which like other towns with its status, served as a local trade center for smaller localities in its orbit.[24]
In the early 14th century, the historian and AyyubidemirAbu'l-Fida mentioned Kafartab, saying it was "a town so small as to be like a village, where there is but little water". At that time it served as the principal town of its district and its inhabitants produced clay pots which they exported to the surrounding regions.[5] In 1362, Kafartab was one of a number of localities to survive a plague that spread across Syria.[25] In the 17th century, duringOttoman rule, Kafartab was designated as akaza (judicial district) of theAleppo Vilayet (Aleppo Province).[26]