Marthwan مرتحوان Maaret al-Ikhwan | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Marthwan Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:36°3′51″N36°40′18″E / 36.06417°N 36.67167°E /36.06417; 36.67167 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Idlib |
| Subdistrict | Maarrat Misrin |
| Elevation | 315 m (1,033 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 1,831 |
Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan (Arabic:معرّة الإخوان, also spelledMa'arrat al-Akwan,Maaret Ikhwan,Maaret Elekhwan orMartahwan) is a village in northwesternSyria, administratively part ofIdlib Governorate located north ofIdlib. Nearby localities includeMaarrat Misrin to the south,Zardana to the southeast,Kafr Yahmul to the east,Hizano to the northeast,Kaftin to the north,Qurqania to the northwest andHarbanoush to the west. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan had a population of 1,831 in the 2004 census.[1] It has a significant population ofDruze, who inhabit several small villages in theA'la Mountain and its vicinity.[2]
During theMuslim conquest of Syria in the 630s,Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and his army destroyed Maarrat al-Ikhwan andSarmin after capturingMaarrat Misrin andAleppo.[3] Ma'arat al-Ikhwan was one of the major towns, along with Maarrat Misrin andZardana, of the al-Jazr district of Aleppo during the medieval period.[4]
Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan is the birthplace of Shaykh Jabir al-Halabi, a renowned religious leader and a leading scholar of theQur'an during the 17th century. He was honored with the titleShaykh al-Islam for the District of Aleppo byOttoman sultanMurad IV. Following his death in 1640, Sultan Murad ordered the construction of a shrine over his tomb in Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan where it is still visited by bothMuslims andDruze to receive blessings.[5][6]
In the mid-19th century, Dutch merchant and authorThomas Hope visited Maarrat al-Ikhwan and noted that it was inhabited by members of theAlawite community.[7] In the late 19th century Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan was described as a large village situated on an open plain and distinguished by roofs that resembled "sugar-cones."[8] In another 19th-century account Western traveler Albert Socin described the place as an impoverished village.[9]
During the ongoingSyrian civil war that began in 2011, opposition rebels from theFree Syrian Army set up a headquarters and military training camp in Ma'arrat al-Ikhwan.[10][11]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
