Sawran صوران | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Sawran Location of Sawran in Syria | |
| Coordinates:36°33′57″N37°12′46″E / 36.5658°N 37.2128°E /36.5658; 37.2128 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | Azaz |
| Subdistrict | Sawran |
| Control | Syrian transitional government |
| Elevation | 444 m (1,457 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | 16,998 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Geocode | C1664 |
Sawran (Arabic:صوران,romanized: Ṣawrān), also spelledSuran,Souran orSawwaran, is a town in northernAleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. Located 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of the city ofAleppo, it is the administrative centre ofNahiya Sawran inAzaz District. Nearby localities includeA'zaz andKafra to the west,Ihtaimlat andDabiq to the east andMare' to the south. In the 2004 census, Sawran had a population of 6,988.[1] The town is mainly inhabited byTurkmens.[2]
Sawran's history dates back to theIron Age when it was anAramaean settlement in the Kingdom ofBit Adini known as "Surunu." In a military campaign against Bit Adini's king Ahuni, theNeo-Assyrian kingShalmaneser III raided and captured Surunu.[3] It later came under the rule of Assyrian kingTiglath Pileser III.[4]
During theByzantine era in Syria, Sawran was inhabited by theArab tribe ofTanukh. Before theMuslim conquest it served anArab Christian center and contained a fortified monastery. During earlyIslamic rule, Sawran was part ofJund Qinnasrin ("Military District ofChalcis"), part of the largerBilad al-Sham province.[5]
During theSyrian civil war, the town saw two massacres of pro-opposition civilians by pro-government regular and irregular forces: on 20 May 2012 (37 civilian casualties) and on 8 February 2018 (30 civilian casualties).[6] TheIslamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of the town on 31 May 2015.[7] On 16 October 2016, Turkish-backed rebels captured the town from ISIL.[8][9]
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