Suran صوران Ṣūrān | |
|---|---|
  Suran Location of Suran in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°17′23″N36°44′36″E / 35.2897°N 36.7433°E /35.2897; 36.7433 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Hama |
| Subdistrict | Suran |
| Elevation | 350 m (1,150 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 29,100 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Geocode | C3026 |
Suran (Arabic:صوران,romanized: Ṣūrān) is a city in centralSyria, administratively part of theHama Governorate. In the 2004 census, Suran had a population of 29,100.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims.
Suran was a small village at the onset ofOttoman rule (1517–1917), having a population of only 9 households in 1526.[2] In 1838, it was recorded as aSunni Muslim village.[3]
DuringFrench Mandatory rule (1923–1946), theBulletin du Comité de l'Asie française noted that the inhabitants of Suran and nearbyKafr Zita "were still proud" of their descent from theMawali tribe.[4] For much of the Ottoman period, the Mawali wereBedouins who dominated the northern and centralSyrian desert until they were driven closer to Hama andAleppo in the late 18th century by theAnaza, a Bedouin tribal confederation fromNajd (central Arabia).[5]
TheBulletin, writing in 1933, noted that the inhabitants of Suran, like several other places whose residents were of Bedouin origin near Hama, owned their lands collectively and subject to periodic sharing (musha').[6] The village was wealthy and well-cultivated. This, and its close proximity to the city of Hama, had long made the village an attractive investment for Hama's landowning elites. Unlike numerous other villages in the vicinity, especiallyAlawite villages, the Sunni Muslim residents of Suran staved off attempts by the urban elite to gain ownership of their lands. Such an attempt had occurred in 1929, when Suran'smukhtar (headman) was prosecuted by the authorities for arms smuggling. The notables of Hama offered to support the mukhtar and the villagers against the legal proceedings in exchange for some plots of land in Suran. The mukhtar, conscious that this would allow the urban elite a foothold in the village, as had happened in other nearby places, rejected their offer.[7]
In 2024, as part of theSyrian opposition offensive and Syrian Army retreat, the town was occupied byTahrir al-Sham (HTS). On 2 December 2024, heavy fighting occurred in the area.[8] On 3 December, HTS regained control over the city.[9]
