Jamla جملة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Jamla | |
| Coordinates:32°48′22″N35°51′3″E / 32.80611°N 35.85083°E /32.80611; 35.85083 | |
| Grid position | 229/245PAL |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa |
| District | Daraa |
| Subdistrict | al-Shajara |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | 1,916 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EEST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EET) |
Jamla (Arabic:جملة, also spelledGamlah,Jumlah,Jamleh orAl Jamlah) is a village in southwesternSyria, administratively part of theDaraa Governorate and immediately east of theIsraeli-occupiedGolan Heights. It is situated on the eastern slopes of theWadi Ruqqad valley.[1] Nearby localities includeAbdin to the south, thenahiyah ("subdistrict") center ofal-Shajara to the southwest,Nafia to the east,Ayn Zakar to the northeast andSaida to the north. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Jamla had a population of 1,916 in the 2004 census.[2] Its inhabitants are predominantlySunni Muslims.
Large stone ruins in the vicinity, including a rectangular-shaped building, attest to the antiquity of the site. The area featuresbasaltic mounds calledrujm, some of which rise to an elevation of 24- 30 feet. Atop therujm are circles and squares up to 10 feet wide carved into the basaltic rock.[1]
Near Jamla, in theRuqqad riverbed, lies the archaeological site of Tel ed-Dra', where a fragment depicting a winged deity, possiblyVictoria, was discovered in the early 20th century.[3] Previously, the site was mistakenly identified as the location of the ancient Jewish town ofGamla, known for its siege during theFirst Jewish–Roman War, due to the similarity in name. This identification was later refuted when Gamla's true location was discovered elsewhere.[3]
In theOttomantax registers of 1596, Jamla was located in thenahiya of Jawlan Sarqi,Qada of Hawran. It had a population of 7 households and 3 bachelors, allMuslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 2,700akçes.[4]
In the late 19th-century Jamla was described byGottlieb Schumacher as an impoverished village of 36 hut-like houses and a population of 160 Muslims. Arable land was relatively scarce, although there was significant pasture areas to the south. Figs and vegetables were cultivated by the residents in fields to the north and the southwest. There was an abundant supply of water deriving from the Ain Hamatah spring which fed a stream that flowed around the village and irrigated its crops.[1] The residents owned the property of Tahunat Jamla, a small mill turned by the Wadi Seisun waterfall.[5]
In March 2013, during theSyrian civil war, theYarmouk Martyrs Brigade kidnapped 21 FilipinoUnited Nations peacekeepers patrolling the border between Syria and theIsraeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Brigade was reportedly in control of the village itself, but intense clashes were occurring around it.[6] The peacekeepers were accused of cooperating with the Syrian authorities. The rebels demanded that theSyrian Army withdraw from the vicinity of Jamla in return for their release.[7] They were freed after several days.[7][8]
The town remained under the control of the Brigade. On 15 November 2015, the head of the brigade, Muhammad "Abu Ali" al-Baridi and five others, were killed in a bomb blast in Jamla; Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack.[9]The Brigade merged with the ISIL-affiliatedKhalid ibn al-Walid Army, and maintained control of the city through 2016 and 2017.[10][11][12]
On 28 July 2018, the Syrian army recaptured Jamla.[13]
On 21 June 2022, two Syrian soldiers were killed by an IED explosion on a road near the village.[14]
In December 2024, during the2024 Israeli invasion of Syria, the IDF occupied Jamla andMaaraba, and opened fire on Syrian protesters.[15] It also extrajudicially arrested Syrians.
Capital:Daraa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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