Shaizar شيزر Larissa | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 The fortress and town of Shaizar | |
  Shaizar Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°16′04″N36°34′00″E / 35.26778°N 36.56667°E /35.26778; 36.56667 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Mahardah |
| Subdistrict | Mahardah |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 5,953 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Shaizar orShayzar (Arabic:شيزر; in modern ArabicSaijar;Hellenistic name:Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία inGreek) is a town in northernSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate, located northwest ofHama. Nearby localities include,Mahardah,Tremseh,Kafr Hud,Khunayzir andHalfaya. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Shaizar had a population of 5,953 in the 2004 census.[1]
During theCrusades, the town was a fortress, ruled by theBanu Munqidh family. It played an important part in the Christian and Muslim politics of the crusades.
Shaizar is located at a strategically vital crossing point on theOrontes River, 28 km to the northwest ofHama.[2]
In theAmarna letters (14th century BC) it is mentioned as Senzar or Sezar.
To theGreeks it was known as Sidzara, but during theSeleucid empire it was renamed Larissa, after the townLarissa inThessaly (Greece) from which many colonists came.
It reverted to its earlier name under theRoman Empire and was known as Sezer under theByzantine Empire.
The Crusaders rendered the city's name in Latin as Caesarea. This name had not been used in any earlier period, and was derived from the Crusaders mistakenly identifying this city as beingCaesarea Mazaca, a place renowned in Christian history as the home of SaintBasil of Caesarea.
Shaizar's ruins are known as Saijar in modern Arabic.
Shaizar is mentioned as Senzar or Sezar in theAmarna letters (14th century BC).
Diodorus Siculus (first century BC) records local legends attributing the establishment of the town by one ofAlexander's cavalry regiments originating fromThessaly.[2] The town was renamed Larissa Sizara,Larissa being the town in Thessaly from which many Greek settlers came. According to Diodorus, these colonists received land as a reward for their bravery.[3]
Both the Thessalian city and the Syrian town were known for their horse breeding. Diodorus also mentions that the Larisans provided the horsemen for the firstagema of the Seleucid cavalry.[3]
The Roman armies led byPompey conquered Syria in 64 BC.
Syria was briefly occupied by Republican-Parthian forces under theParthian princePacorus I.
TheTabula Peutingeriana places Larisa 13 miles fromApamea and 14 miles from Epiphaneia.[4][3]
The city remained part of the Christianised empire, known as theByzantine Empire, under the name of Sezer.[citation needed]
Shaizar fell to theArabs in 638 and frequently passed from Arab to Byzantine control. It was sacked in 968 by Byzantine emperorNicephorus II, and was captured byBasil II in 999, after which it became the southern border of the Byzantine Empire and was administered by the Bishop of Shaizar.[citation needed] AFatimid castle was standing at Shaizar by the time the Byzantines recaptured the town.[2]
It was lost to theBanu Munqidh in 1081 when Ali ibn Munqidh bought it from the bishop. The Byzantines besieged it numerous times after this but failed to recover it.[citation needed]
The Franks arrived in Syria in 1098 during theFirst Crusade. The interaction between theCrusader states and the Banu Munqidh rulers of Shaizar consisted of a series of wars and alliances.[citation needed] They attempted to seize Shaizarin 1138 and1157.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Munqidhites controlled territory east of Shaizar, across theal-Ansariyah mountains to theMediterranean coast, from the coastal cities ofLatakia in the north toTortosa in the south.[citation needed]
During theFirst Crusade, the emir assisted the Crusaders passing through his land, giving them horses and food and other provisions. After the crusade it was bordered by the crusaderPrincipality of Antioch and was subject to raids from both Antioch and theCounty of Tripoli.[citation needed]
When the Crusaders briefly conqueredQalaat al-Madiq, a fortress to the northwest of Shaizar and overlooking ancientApamea, in 1106, the Banu Munqidh clan harassed them from their base in Shaizar.[2]
In 1106, the Munqidhite emirs Murshid and Sultan defeatedWilliam-Jordan of Tripoli, and in 1108 and 1110 they had to bribeTancred to leave. Tancred,Baldwin I of Jerusalem, andBertrand of Tripoli besieged the city during thebattle of Shaizar of 1111 for two weeks, but returned home when the army ofMawdud of Mosul cut off their access to food and water. Tancred nevertheless built a castle nearby on Tell ibn Ma'shar, in order to keep Shaizar under close watch.[citation needed]
WhenRidwan of Aleppo died in 1113, Shaizar was inundated by many of hisAssassin supporters that were expelled from the city by his sonAlp Arslan al-Akras. Shaizar participated inIlghazi's campaign against Antioch in 1119. WhenBaldwin II of Jerusalem was taken captive by theArtuqidBelek Ghazi outsideEdessa in 1123, he was held at Shaizar until his release the next year. As part of his ransom he was forced to give up his daughterIoveta as a hostage, who was also held at Shaizar until her own ransom in 1125. As Shaizar was a friendly state, Baldwin was allowed to visit his daughter there, but Shaizar was also friendly to its Muslim neighbours, and in 1125 was incorporated into the territory ofAqsunqur al-Bursuqi,atabeg of Mosul. WhenZengi succeeded-Bursuqi's son in Mosul in 1127 and claimed Aleppo as well, Shaizar recognized his suzerainty.
In 1137, Byzantine emperorJohn II Comnenus arrived to impose Byzantine authority on Antioch, and promisedRaymond of Antioch a principality consisting of Shaizar, Aleppo,Homs, andHama if Antioch was returned to the Empire. In April 1138, the Byzantine army led thesiege of Shaizar, but Raymond andJoscelin II of Edessa did not assist the emperor. Zengi soon arrived to relieve the fortress in May. The emir preferred Byzantine control to Zengid, and offered to recognize John as his overlord. Neither John or Zengi ever really enforced their authority there and Shaizar remained independent.
The emirate lasted until the enormousearthquake of 1157, during which the citadel collapsed, killing almost the entire family, who had assembled there to celebrate a circumcision. The only survivors out of the whole family were the wife of emir, and the emir's nephewUsama ibn Munqidh, the famed poet-knight who was on a diplomatic mission toDamascus.
Referring to the crusadersiege of Shaizar in 1157,[5]William of Tyre writes:
Fulcher of Chartres, an eyewitness to the siege in 1111, did not know the classical Roman or Greek name for the site, and noted that the Turks called it "Sisara", "but the inhabitants of the country commonly call it 'Chezar'."[7]
Regarding the citizens, William of Tyre says they "had but little knowledge of arms; their attention was devoted almost entirely to trading." Many of them were Christians, whom William considered to be suffering as slaves under their Muslim rulers, but the Munqidhites seem to have been tolerant lords and both Christians and Muslims of various sects lived there peacefully.[6]
A very lively account of life in Shaizar, and various other places in the Muslim world, was written by the prince Usama ibn Munqidh, titledKitab al-I'tibar, and gives great insight into Muslim life in the 12th century.
The Munqidhite emirs are shown as patrons of literature, who delight in hunting and other sports, as well as delighting in making war on, and negotiating peace with, their Christian and Muslim neighbours.
Shaizar was ruler by theBanu Munquid from 1059–1157. The emirs were:
Usama ibn Munqidh was amedieval Muslim poet, author,faris (knight), and diplomat from the Banu Munqidh dynasty of Shaizar in northernSyria. His life coincided with the rise of several medieval Muslim dynasties, the arrival of theFirst Crusade, and the establishment of theCrusader states.He was born in Shaizar, Şeyzer. He was the nephew and potential successor of the emir of Shaizar, but was exiled in 1131 and spent the rest of his life serving other leaders. He was a courtier to theBurids,Zengids, andAyyubids inDamascus, serving theZengi,Nur ad-Din, andSaladin over a period of almost fifty years. He also served theFatimid court in Cairo, as well as theArtuqids inHisn Kayfa. He traveled extensively in Arab lands, visiting Egypt, Syria, Palestine and along the Tigris River, and went on pilgrimage toMecca. He often meddled in the politics of the courts in which he served, and he was exiled from both Damascus and Cairo.
During and immediately after his life, he was most famous as a poet andadib (a "man of letters"). He wrote many poetry anthologies, such as theKitab al-'Asa ("Book of the Staff"),Lubab al-Adab ("Kernels of Refinement"), andal-Manazil wa'l-Diyar ("Dwellings and Abodes"), and collections of his own original poetry. In modern times, he is remembered more for hisKitab al-I'tibar ("Book of Learning by Example" or "Book of Contemplation"), which contains lengthy descriptions of the Crusaders, whom he interacted with on many occasions, and some of whom he considered friends.
Most of his family was killed in anearthquake at Shaizar in 1157. He died in Damascus in 1188, at the age of 93.
TheAssassins then took control of the ruins, and they were defeated by the Crusaders in 1158, but disputes forced the Crusaders to abandon the siege.Nur ad-Din then incorporated the remains into his territory and rebuilt the city. Shaizar was destroyed again by an earthquake in 1170 and the remnants were taken bySaladin in 1174. They were rebuilt again, but in 1241 the city was sacked by theKhwarezmians. TheMamluk sultanBaibars captured and rebuilt the city in 1260.
The citadel (castle) was declared a national monument in 1958 and the last inhabitants were evacuated to prevent archaeological damage. Today the site is known as Qal’at Shayzar (citadel or castle of Shayzar), while the name Shaizar (or Shayzar) is used for the modern town.[8]
|  | |
Also See:Castles in Syria | ||
