Salqin سَلْقِين | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Street scene in Salqin, 2009 | |
  Salqin | |
| Coordinates:36°8′18″N36°27′13″E / 36.13833°N 36.45361°E /36.13833; 36.45361 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Harem |
| Subdistrict | Salqin |
| Elevation | 846 m (2,776 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 23,700 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Salqin (Arabic:سَلْقِين,romanized: Salqīn) is a town in northwesternSyria, administratively part ofIdlib Governorate. Nearby localities includeKafr Takharim to the southeast,Abu Talha to the south,Delbiya to the southwest,al-Alani to the northwest andIsqat to the northeast. Salqin is the center of itsnahiya (subdistrict). It had a population of 23,700 in 2004.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslim.[2][3]
The town is situated in the southernOrontes River valley and has an altitude of 460 meters above sea level. Olive and other fruit trees surround Salqin. It exports produce from these orchards as well as vegetables. Agriculture is sustained by the large number of springs in Salqin.[3]
According to legends, the city was the summer residence ofSeleucus I, hence the naming. An inscription, found on a stone between twocypress trees in the village, dates its foundation to 98 BC.[4]
Salqin was mentioned by medieval Muslim historianIzz al-Din ibn Shaddad al-Halabi as the site of one of 22 abandoned or ruined fortresses in theAleppo region, likely disbanded or destroyed during theMongol invasions of Syria in the mid to late 13th century. TheMamluks who gained power in the region at that time did not rebuild the fortress in Salqin.[5]
A former education minister and two former governors ofHoms andRaqqah were from Salqin.In November 2012, during theSyrian civil war, Syrian rebels captured the town from government forces. According to anti-government activists, around 70% of Salqin's residents still supported the government ofBashar al-Assad in January 2013. This led to tensions, and the killing of a number of pro-Assad activists.[2] On 30 August 2015, 13 people were killed and a number of others wounded when an attacker wearing a suicide belt targeted a judgement house ofJabhat al-Nusra[6],the majority of salqin city aresunni Muslims with fewalawite families were living in the city but they fled it during the syrian war
| Climate data for Salqin | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.8 (56.8) | 19.1 (66.4) | 24.5 (76.1) | 28.5 (83.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.9 (87.6) | 28.3 (82.9) | 23.4 (74.1) | 16.8 (62.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 20.3 (68.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 1.9 (35.4) | 4.5 (40.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 12.0 (53.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.4 (66.9) | 15.8 (60.4) | 11.7 (53.1) | 6.8 (44.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 157 (6.2) | 147 (5.8) | 124 (4.9) | 71 (2.8) | 33 (1.3) | 13 (0.5) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 15 (0.6) | 40 (1.6) | 67 (2.6) | 177 (7.0) | 847 (33.4) |
| Average snowy days | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Source:Climate-Data.org | |||||||||||||
