Zardana زردنا Zerdana | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Zardana Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:36°02′46″N36°45′16″E / 36.04611°N 36.75444°E /36.04611; 36.75444 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Idlib |
| Subdistrict | Maarrat Misrin |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 5,769 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Zardana (Arabic:زردنا, also spelledZerdana orZirdana) is a village in northwesternSyria, administratively part ofIdlib Governorate. The village lies in a relatively flat plain.[1] Nearby localities includeTaftanaz to the southeast,al-Fu'ah andBinnish to the south,Maarrat Misrin andKafriya to the southwest,Kafr Yahmul to the west,Hizano to the northwest,Ibbin to the north,Kafr Nouran to the northeast andMaaret Elnaasan to the east. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Zardana had a population of 5,767 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslim.[2]
In the 12th century, during theCrusades, Zardana was a significant fortress town which changed hands several times between the Crusaders and various Muslim powers. In modern times, the residents of the village are mostly employed in the civil service or in agriculture, with the main crops being wheat, barley andolives. The cultivation of the latter is a relatively recent development. Zardana's total land area roughly consists of 2,000hectares. The health center provides medical care for the residents of Zardana and the surrounding villages. Zardana contains two primary schools and two secondary schools.[3]
In 1100, Zardana was briefly under the control of thePrincipality of Antioch, a Crusader state based in Antioch near theMediterranean coast. In June of that year,Bohemond I of Antioch defeated the Muslim leaderRidwan of Aleppo with the help of Crusader forces based in Zardana. Zardana, which was a strategic fortress between Antioch and Aleppo, was apparently reoccupied by the Muslims soon after.[4] However, in 1110,Tancred easily captured the town from the Muslims after the successful siege he laid against nearbyAtarib. The two towns subsequently marked the eastern frontier of the Principality of Antioch.[5] A few years later both towns suffered severe damage as a result the1138 Aleppo earthquake.[6] From the time of its conquest by the Crusaders,Robert fitz-Fulk, served as the lord of Zardana, and due to the town's strategic value, became a powerful figure in the Principality of Antioch.[7]
In early August 1119, the combined Muslim forces ofIl-ghazi, theArtukid ruler ofMardin, andToghtekin, theBurid ruler ofDamascus, marched on Zardana after capturing Atarib. The Crusader garrison in the town put up resistance against Il-ghazi's army until surrendering on 12 August. The capture of Atarib and Zardana was a decisive Muslim victory, known as the "Field of Blood," and strengthened the defense of Aleppo. Robert was captured by the Muslim army as he approached Zardana and was later executed in Aleppo.Baldwin II of Jerusalem managed to capture Zardana from the Muslims in the early-1120s and by the timeBohemond II became ruler of Antioch in 1126. Baldwin's success was largely attributed to weakened Muslim control in the area as a result of political upheavals inAleppo. Zardana was given to Robert's son, William fitz-Fulk.[8]
The Muslim ruler of Aleppo,Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi led a successful attempt to recapture Zardana in the summer of 1125.[9] The town was attacked by Sawar, anemir ("commander") ofZengi, the new Muslim ruler of Aleppo, during a plunder campaign against Crusader fortress towns between Antioch and Aleppo in 1133–34.[10]
The 13th-century Syrian geographerYaqut al-Hamawi visited Zardana in the 1220s, duringAyyubid rule, noting that it was "a small town in the neighborhood and to the west ofAleppo."[11]
In the early-mid 20th-century Zardana's houses were constructed of mud brick and wood, unlike most of the villages in the vicinity. The inhabitants largely depended on cultivating wheat and barley and raising livestock. During theFrench Mandate period, a resident of Zardana attacked a French military vehicle, prompting a French army operation to search for weapons being stored in the village. During the operation, the western part of the village was burned down and several men were detained. Most were pardoned upon the orders of an outside unit commander, but two residents were made to be executed by firing squad. One was killed, while the other was pardoned as a result of the intervention of an elder from nearbySaraqib.[3] In June 2018, 40 civilians were killed in aRussian air strike on the rebel-held town during theSyrian civil war.[12]
