Zarzur زرزور Zerzur | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Zarzur Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:35°57′16″N36°20′24″E / 35.95444°N 36.34000°E /35.95444; 36.34000 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib Governorate |
| District | Jisr al-Shughur District |
| Nahiyah | Darkush |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 3,126 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Zarzur (Arabic:زرزور, also spelledZerzur,Zarzour orZurzur) is a town in northernSyria, administratively part of theIdlib Governorate, located northwest ofIdlib along the Syrian–Turkish borders on the western bank of theOrontes River. Nearby localities includenahiyah ("subdistrict") centerDarkush to the north,al-Ghafar to the east,Kafr Dibbin to the southeast, district centerJisr al-Shughur to the south andal-Janudiyah to the southwest. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Zarzur had a population of 3,126 in the 2004 census.[1]
Zarzur has been identified as the Bronze Age town ofZuzzura (known asZunzurha by theHittites) of the kingdom ofAlalakh.[2][3] It is mentioned asTundura inThutmose III's list of settlements.[2][3]
In the early 1960s it was described as a little village of 375 inhabitants.[4] Although most of the inhabitants areSunni Muslims, conversions toShia Islam began in 1945 as a result of the missionary activities of Muhammad Naji al-Ghafri. Naji's work was supported by the embassy ofIran in the capitalDamascus and included funding the construction of ahussainia, a congregation hall for Shia commemorations. The entire clans of Tarmash, al-Manjad and Asayyad became Shia Muslims. Presently, roughly 25% of Zarzur's population follow Shia Islam.[5]
During the ongoingSyrian civil war, on 14 December 2012, a Shia mosque (hussainia) was set alight by opposition rebels from anIslamist unit of theFree Syrian Army. As sectarian slogan promoting civil strife was written on the wall of the building.[6][7]Human Rights Watch condemned the targeting of thehussainia by rebel forces, as well as the government's apparent use of the building for military purposes. Following the torching of thehussainia, locals claimed Zarzur's Shia inhabitants fled the village fearing retaliatory attacks on the community as a result of their perceived support of the government.[8]
