Qalaat al-Madiq قلعة المضيق Kal'at al-Mudik | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Arab transcription(s) | |
| • English | "Citadel of Strait" |
 Skyline of Qalaat al-Madiq town, 2010 | |
  Qalaat al-Madiq Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°25′N36°23′E / 35.41°N 36.39°E /35.41; 36.39 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Al-Suqaylabiyah |
| Subdistrict | Qalaat al-Madiq |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 12,925 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
Qalaat al-Madiq (Arabic:قلعة المضيق also spelledKal'at al-Mudik orQal'at al-Mudiq; also known asAfamiyya orFamiyyah) is a town and medieval fortress in northwesternSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate, located northwest ofHama. It is situated in theal-Ghab plain, on the eastern bank of theOrontes River. Nearby localities include the district centeral-Suqaylabiyah to the south,Bureij andKarnaz to the southeast,Kafr Nabudah to the east,al-Huwash to the north,Huwayjah al-Sallah andShathah to the northwest andAl-Tuwayni andEnnab to the west. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Qalaat al-Madiq had a population of 12,925 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and second largest locality in the Qalaat al-Madiqnahiyah ("subdistrict") which consisted of 40 localities with a collective population of 85,597 in 2004.[1] The town's inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims.[2]
Qalaat al-Madiq is the site of the ancient city ofApamea, the ruins of which are located just east of the town. The modern fortress, after which the town was named, was built during Muslim rule in the 12th century. It is still inhabited by townspeople.[3] TheSyrian Armed Forces retook this town from rebels during theMay 2019 Hama offensive.[4]
Apamea was founded by theSeleucids in the 3rd-century BCE and was later conquered by theRomans who significantly built up the city.[5] During theByzantine-Sassanid War in the early 7th century, Apamea was entirely destroyed by theSassanid forces ofKhosrau II.[6]Heraclius defeated the Persians and in a negotiation between him and Sassanid generalShahrvaraz, Syria reverted to Byzantine control.[7]
In 634, during theCaliphate ofAbu Bakr, Muslim forces began theirconquest of the Levant, besieging and capturingEmesa by 636.[7] With this major Byzantine stronghold captured, along with a number of other towns in the vicinity, Apamea surrendered to thearmy ofAbu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah in 638, during the Caliphate ofUmar ibn al-Khattab.[8] According to the 9th-century Muslim chronicleral-Baladhuri, Apamea's inhabitants greeted the Muslim army festively,[9] and accepted the imposition ofjizya and land taxes.[8][9] By the end of the year, the entireLevant came under Muslim rule. Apamea became known asAfamiyya orFamiyyah by the Muslims during the medieval era. In 891 Arab geographeral-Yaqubi visited Afamiyya, noting that it consisted of the ruins of an "ancient Greek city ... situated on a large lake."[8][9] In 998 the Byzantines besieged Afamiyya, then held by theFatimids, but Egyptian reinforcements relieved the citadel anddecisively defeated the Byzantine forces on 19 July.[10]
In 1106 the citadel of Afamiyya (Qal'at al-Madiq), which overlooked the ancient ruins, was purchased by theNizari Isma'ilis (also known as theAssassins) under the leadership ofAbu Tahir al-Sa'igh, making it the first castle to be acquired by the group in the Levant.[5] The place had been mostly inhabited by Isma'ilis prior to its purchase from the Fatimid-appointed Egyptian lord who governed it. Abu Tahir was encouraged byRidwan, theSeljuk ruler of Aleppo, to take the fortress, believing the Ismailis would be more ambitious in strengthening its defenses against the Crusaders ofAntioch. However, they were ousted a few months later by the Crusaders under the leadership ofTancred of Antioch in what was likely the first military confrontation between the Ismailis and the Crusaders. Initially, Tancred besieged the fortress and subsequently made terms with the Ismailis in return for tribute, but later captured it in a second assault. The Isma'ilis and Abu Tahir fled to Aleppo for refuge, but were later executed byAlp Arslān al-Akhras, Ridwan's son and successor, on orders from the Seljuk sultan and amid public resentment of the Isma'ilis.[11]
According to his own memoirs,Usama ibn Munqidh led a small force fromShaizar, together with severalBedouin raiders, to launch an attack against the Crusader garrison in Afamiya and to plunder its cultivable lands, in 1119.[12] By 1149, Afamiyya was once again under Muslim control.[13] In 1154 an earthquake severely damaged Afamiyya along with Shaizar andKafr Tab.[14] During the reign of the Zengid rulerNur ad-Din (1146–1174), the modern Qalaat al-Madiq fortress was constructed.[3]
In the 1220s, Syrian geographerYaqut al-Hamawi wrote that Afamiyya was the center of a district that was part of the largerHims Province. In the early 14th century,Abu'l Fida noted that Afamiyya was part of the district ofShaizar.[8]
Qalaat al-Madiq was part ofEyalet Aleppo ("Province of Aleppo") in the early 19th century. In 1811 the fortified town, which virtually guarded the entrance to the al-Ghab plain, was commandeered by Mulla Isma'il, an autonomous Kurdish warlord who rebelled against the Ottoman authorities in Syria after falling from their grace. The imperialjanissary contingent in Qalaat al-Madiq had evacuated the fortress after its takeover by Mulla Isma'il. Together withAriha andJisr al-Shughur, both of which were also controlled by autonomous lords, the three towns formed a triangle where rebellious tribes, particularly theMawali, andaghawat ("lords") could find safe haven from the authorities.[15]
In the late 19th century the village was located within the walls of the fortress and its inhabitants were impoverishedBedouins.[16]
In the early 20th century the citadel was the only part of Qalaat al-Madiq that was inhabited.[17] However, currently the area of town has expanded significantly, occupying the hillside areas west and south of the citadel, along the main road towards al-Suqaylabiyah.[18]
During the ongoingSyrian Civil War, anti-government rebels gained control over much of the town, but theSyrian Army has maintained its position in the fortress, which overlooks the town. In September 2011 the police were evicted from the town by the rebels there. Services are provided to Qalaat al-Madiq's residents by rebel groups in the town, the largest of which is Suqour al-Ghab faction which fights under the banner of theFree Syrian Army.[19] In March 2012 Qalaat al-Madiq was shelled and targeted by heavy fire for a successive 17 days by the Syrian Army in an attempt to oust rebel forces. On 28 March the army entered the town, but were unable to take full control of it. Clashes resulted in the deaths of five rebels, four army soldiers and four civilians according to theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights.[20]
Since the March clashes, there has been a relative ceasefire between the two sides,[19] with a few incidents where the army has allegedly attacked demonstrations, which have continued in Qalaat al-Madiq, as of late November 2012. The protests are not solely against the government, and are sometimes directed against the rebels, mostly to demand better services. A small number of people from the nearby Christian city ofal-Suqaylabiyah have occasionally participated in demonstrations in Qalaat al-Madiq.[21]The fortress was under control of theFree Syrian Army, mostly composed of Syrian Sunni Muslims, by 2012. As of early 2016, theal-Nusra Front controlled the fortress.[22] In October of 2016, it was used as a waypoint for 1,287 people (about half of them rebel fighters), who had agreed to leaveAl-Hamah andQudsaya in exchange for safe passage to rebel controlled territory.[23] It was retaken by theSyrian Government in May 2019, during the2019 Northwestern Syria offensive.[4]
On 30 November 2024,HTS rebels captured the city from the Syrian Army during theHama offensive However after a counter attack theSyrian Arab Army was able to recapture it. The victory was short-lived asBashar Al-Assad fled the country on 8 December 2024.
Birin Hama.
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Also See:Castles in Syria | ||
