Sirmaniyah سرمانية Sarmania | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Sirmaniyah Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°43′23″N36°16′38″E / 35.72306°N 36.27722°E /35.72306; 36.27722 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Al-Suqaylabiyah |
| Subdistrict | Al-Ziyarah |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 2,087 |
Sirmaniyah (Arabic:سرمانيةSirmāniyah, also spelledSarmania,al-Sarmaniyah,Sermaniye) is a village in northernSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate, northwest ofHama. Nearby localities includeJisr al-Shughur 12 kilometers to the north,Qarqur to the northeast,al-Ziyarah to the southeast andFarikah to the south. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Sirmaniyah had a population of 2,087 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims.
Sirmaniyah has been identified as the village of "Sarum" whereJohn Maron, the firstMaronite patriarch was born. However, the Syrian village ofSarmin to the north has also been identified as "Sarum."[2]
In the 12th century Sirmaniyah served as aCrusader fortress andfief known as "Sarmania", part of thePrincipality of Antioch. Its name derived from the Sarmani family who controlled the castle. The Sarmani were aGermanic family,[2] many of whose members occupied high-ranking offices within the Principality,[3] including Gervais of Sarmania.[2] The fortress was captured bySaladin, the Muslim sultan of theAyyubid dynasty, on 19 August 1188 after a brief siege.[4]
Sirmaniyah has seen violence during the ongoingSyrian civil war between the government and opposition forces. According to opposition activists, the village was assaulted bySyrian Army tanks on 10 June 2011, early in the uprising. Fleeing residents of Sirmaniyah were reportedly pursued by Syrian troops.[5] Activists stated that the Syrian Army entered with hundreds of soldiers and "cleaned out three villages," including Sirmaniyah.[6] At least one person was reportedly killed in the village.[7] On 23 April 2015, heavy clashes were reported in the village as part of a rebel campaign to capture Jisr al-Shughur.[8] On 14 October, the Syrian Army took over the village.[9] Eventually, the village was captured by the JihadistTahrir al-Sham, who rule over much of Idlib governorate.
On 15 April 2022, a militant ofAnsar al-Islam blew himself up in asuicide attack aimed at destroying Syrian army positions near the village.[10] One Syrian soldier was killed and 4 others were wounded in the attack.[11]
Sarmaniya Syria.
