GetWiki

factoids

| coor_pinpoint = Aleppo| coordinates_footnotes = List of sovereign states>CountrySYR}} SyriaMintaqah>Manatiq (Districts)| parts_style = para| p1 = 10| established_title = | established_date = | seat_type = Capital| seat = Aleppo| unit_pref = Metric| area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 18482| population_footnotes = | population_total = 4868111| population_as_of = 2011| population_density_km2 = auto| leader_title = GovernorTITLE=ALEPPO GOVERNOR, INDONESIAN DELEGATION DISCUSS COOPERATION IN RECONSTRUCTION FIELDWEBSITE=SANA, en-US, Syria#Languages>Main language(s)Arabic language>Arabic Syriac language Kurdish language>Kurdish Turkish language Armenian language>ArmenianEastern European Time>EET| utc_offset1 = +2Eastern European Summer Time>EEST| utc_offset1_DST = +3| iso_code = SY-HL| website = weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120109034118weblink">Aleppo Governorate| footnotes = }}Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab / {{IPA-ar|muˈħaːfaðˤat ˈħalab|}}) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the total population of Syria. The governorate is the fifth in area with an area of {{Convert|18,482|km2||abbr=on}},WEB,weblink History of Aleppo, الموقع الرسمي لمجلس مدينة حلب, ar, ar:تاريخ حلب,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130723173514weblink">weblink 2013-07-23, dead, 2017-12-20, or 18,498 km2,WEB,weblink Syria Provinces, www.statoids.com, about 10% of the total area of Syria. The capital is the city of Aleppo.

History

Ancient

In Classical Antiquity, the region was made up of three regions: Chalybonitis (with its centre at Chalybon or Aleppo), Chalcidice (with its center at Qinnasrīn العيس), and Cyrrhestica (with its center at Cyrrhus النبي حوري).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} This was the most fertile and populated region in Syria. Under the Romans the region was made in 193 CE{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} part of the province of Coele Syria or Magna Syria, which was ruled from Antioch. The province of Euphratensis was established in the 4th century CE in the east, its centre was Hierapolis Bambyce (Manbij).BOOK, Alexander, Kazhdan, Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991, 978-0-19-504652-6, 748, Under the Rashidun and Umayyad Muslim dynasties, the region was part of the Jund Qinnasrin.BOOK, Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500,weblink Ad-Dimashqi, Shams al-Din al-Ansari al-Dimashqi, Al-Muqaddasi, Al-Muqaddasi, Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London, 1890, 25–39, 1004386, In the Abbasid period the region was under the independent rule of the Hamdanids.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} The Mamluks and then later the Ottomans governed the area until 1918; under the Ottomans, the region was part of the Vilayet of Aleppo.BOOK, Bruce Masters, The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918: A Social and Cultural History,weblink 2013-06-08, 2013-04-29, Cambridge University Press, 978-1-107-03363-4, 181,

Modern history

During the Tanzimat era of Ottoman governance in Aleppo, the authorities established the 1858 land reform law along with schemes to introduce new Bedouin settlers to northern Syria. These programs led to a stronger integration of Aleppo with the economy of the Ottoman heartland in Anatolia. It also paved the way for European capitalists to exploit agricultural resources of the region and caused internal trade to shift into the hands of European merchants.JOURNAL, Masters, Bruce, 2010, The Political Economy of Aleppo in an Age of Ottoman Reform,weblink Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 53, 1/2, 290–292, 10.1163/002249910X12573963244520, 25651220, 0022-4995, In the early 20th century, during the French Mandate the region was part of the short-lived State of Aleppo.Syria: French Levant States 1920-1936Aleppo Governorate formerly included Idlib Governorate, until the latter was split off circa 1960.

Syrian Civil War (2011-present)

The governorate has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the Syrian Civil War. In June 2017, nearly six years after the war's start, the province was almost equally divided between Syrian Government forces, Syrian Opposition forces, Turkish Army /TFSA and the Rojava/Syrian Democratic Forces.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} After fierce fighting, the Syrian Arab Army with Russian air support managed to take control of the capital of the Governorate, Aleppo, in December 2016 from Fatah Halab coalition.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}In August 2016, the Turkish Army, backed by the Free Syrian Army launched the Operation Euphrates Shield in order to drive ISIL from the border towns of Jarablus, A'zaz and Al-Bab. The operation resulted in success and starting in May 2017, the region is now under Turkish occupation.WEB, Stein, Aaron, Abouzahr, Hossam, Komar, Rao, How Turkey Is Governing in Northern Aleppo,weblink Syria Deeply, 20 July 2017, 14 September 2017, WEB,weblink Skirmishes Mar Fight Against IS in Northern Syria, Voice of America, Sirwan Kajjo, 2 March 2017, Turkish occupation “is an existential threat to the Assad government's ability to reclaim the entirety of its territory, which is a key argument that regime loyalists make in their support of Bashar al-Assad's government,” Heras said., The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was largely removed from the area after the Syrian Arab Army launched the East Aleppo Offensive, the Maskanah Plains offensive, and the Southern Raqqa Offensive.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}In January 2018, the Turkish army backed by the Free Syrian Army launched the Turkish military operation in Afrin against the YPG, which resulted in the capture of the city of Afrin and the entire Afrin District.WEB,weblink Turkey takes full control of Syria's Afrin region, reports say, 3 June 2018,

Geography

The governorate has a {{convert|221|km||adj=on}} long{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} northern boundary with the Kilis, Gaziantep, and Åžanlıurfa provinces of Turkey. To the east lies Raqqa Governorate, to the south Ḥamā Governorate, and to the west Idlib Governorate and Turkey's Hatay Province.The governorate lies on a plateau known as the Aleppo plateau. The eastern and northern boundaries of the governorate correspond roughly to the eastern and northern boundaries of the plateau, although the northeastern portion of the governorate crosses the Euphrates valley into the JazÄ«rah plateau. The southeastern end of the governorate is continuous with the arid steppe of the northern Syrian Desert. To the south lie the eastern plains of Hama, and to the southwest lie the northern plains of Idlib.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}The average elevation of the terrain is {{convert|379|m|ft}}. The surface gradually slopes down in north–south and west–east directions, undulating gently with an amplitude of 10–30 m for each wave. The lowlands are covered with combined Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments that average 4–5 km in thickness over the whole surface.Abd as-Salam, Adil (1991) General Geography of Syria (Arabic)(File:ALEPPO GOVERNORATE GEOGRAPHY.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Geographic features of northwestern Syria)Starting from the valley of the Euphrates, the terrain rises forming the Manbij plain, and then sinks again at the Dhahab river valley in the east of Aleppo Governorate. The Dhahab drains the highlands north of Bāb and runs in a north–south direction for about {{Convert|50|km||abbr=on}} until it drains into Lake Jabboul. West of the Dhahab valley the terrain rises again forming Mount Ê»AqÄ«l (Mount Taymar) west of Bāb and Mount Ḥaṣṣ west of Lake Jabboul."SY006: Sabkhat al-Jabbul" BirdLife IBA Factsheet The terrain sinks again forming the valley of River QuwÄ“q. The endpoint of QuwÄ“q, the Maá¹­kh swamp ({{convert|249|m|ft}}), is the lowest point in Aleppo Governorate. West of the QuwÄ“q is Mount Simeon. South of Mount Simeon is the plains of Idlib. The River Ê»AfrÄ«n runs west of Mount Simeon. To the west of River Ê»AfrÄ«n the land rises again forming Mount Kurd. The highest point in the governorate, Mount Bulbul ({{convert|1269|m|ft}}), is located in the northern part of Mount Kurd. River Ê»IfrÄ«n runs from north to south between Mount Simeon and Mount Kurd and then turns west to the Orontes valley, thus separating Mount Kurd from Mount Ḥārim to the south.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}The governorate is generally deforested except for a dispersed forest of about {{convert|50|km2}} on the eastern slope of Mount Kurd where it faces the plain of AÊ»zāz. The main trees are Aleppo Pine and oak.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}Arable land makes up 66% of the total area in the governorate. The main crops are olives, figs, plums, pomegranates, vegetables, grains, rice, and pistachios. Pistachio is called in Syria fustuq ḤalabÄ« (Aleppo pistachio). Rivers traditionally supported agriculture; the main rivers in Aleppo are the QuwÄ“q, Ê»IfrÄ«n, SājÅ«r, Dhahab, Aswad, and Euphrates. However, all of these rivers arise in Turkey, and due to irrigation projects on the Turkish side of the border, the flow of these rivers dropped so much that most of them could no longer support agriculture. The QuwÄ“q, for example, dried up completely in the 1950s. The vanishing of the rivers forced farmers to depend largely on rainfall and on water diverted from the Euphrates. A pumping station at Maskanah (95 km east of Aleppo) provides drinking water for Aleppo from the Euphrates. Recently Euphrates water has been diverted to revive the dead QwÄ“q river, and thus revive agriculture in the plains south of Aleppo. Urban areas, highlands, swamps, forests, and grazing land make up 34% of the total area of the governorate. The remaining 14% is a desert area in the southeast that is continuous with the Syrian Desert and known as the Aleppo Desert (Arabic: بادية حلب).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}The largest lake in the governorate is Lake Jabboul, a Ramsar salt lake located {{convert|40|km}} southeast of Aleppo. Lake Assad (the largest lake in Syria) separates Aleppo Governorate from Raqqa Governorate. Other artificial lakes include the Lake of 17 April on the River Ê»IfrÄ«n and the revived Shabāʼ Lake on River QuwÄ“q.Archaeological sites are abundant in the governorate, especially at Mount Simeon in the west and the plains that extend beyond towards Antioch and Idlib. This region, known as the Limestone Massif, has the largest concentration of Late Antiquity churches in the world, with a unique Syrian architectural style.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20120709153840weblink">weblink dead, 2012-07-09, FindArticles.com - CBSi, It also has the famous Dead Cities of Syria.Darke, Diana (2006) Syria p.132

Cities

(File:Aleppo city hall laz.jpg|thumb|Aleppo city hall, the seat of the governorate and the city council)The following cities are the administrative centres of the districts in Aleppo Governorate (Population based on 2004 official census):{| class="wikitable"! City !! PopulationAleppo >URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVE-DATE=2012-05-20, Manbij >URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVE-DATE=2012-07-29, As Safirah >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=AS SAFIRAH CITY POPULATION, Al-Bab >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=AL-BAB CITY POPULATION, Ayn Al-Arab >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=AYN AL-ARAB CITY POPULATION, Afrin, Syria>Afrin 36,562HTTP://WWW.CBSSYR.ORG/NEW%20WEB%20SITE/GENERAL_CENSUS/CENSUS_2004/NH/TAB02-15-2004.HTM >ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://ARCHIVE.TODAY/20120730224244/HTTP://WWW.CBSSYR.ORG/NEW%20WEB%20SITE/GENERAL_CENSUS/CENSUS_2004/NH/TAB02-15-2004.HTM ARCHIVE-DATE=2012-07-30, Afrin city population, A'zaz >URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVE-DATE=2012-07-29, Dayr Hafir >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=DAYR-HAFIR CITY POPULATION, Jarabulus >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=JARABULUS CITY POPULATION, Atarib >URL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=ATARIB CITY POPULATION,

Districts

{{Aleppo Governorate Districts Labelled Map|float=center}}The governorate is divided into ten districts (manatiq) as of 2011. The districts are further divided into 46 sub-districts (nawahi):{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}{{col-begin|width=70%}}{{col-break}}

• Mount Simeon District (7 sub-districts)
  • Mount Simeon Subdistrict
  • Tell ad-Daman Subdistrict
  • Haritan Subdistrict
  • Darat Izza Subdistrict
  • al-Zirbah Subdistrict
  • Zammar Subdistrict
  • Hadher Subdistrict
• Afrin District (7 sub-districts)
  • Afrin Subdistrict
  • Bulbul Subdistrict
  • Jindires Subdistrict
  • Rajo Subdistrict
  • Sharran Subdistrict
  • Shaykh al-Hadid Subdistrict
  • Maabatli Subdistrict
• Atarib District (3 sub-districts)
  • Atarib Subdistrict
  • Ibbin Samaan Subdistrict
  • Urum al-Kubrah Subdistrict
• Ayn al-Arab District (4 sub-districts)
  • Ayn al-Arab Subdistrict
  • Shuyukh Tahtani Subdistrict
  • Sarrin Subdistrict
  • Al-Jalabiyah Subdistrict

{{col-break}}

• Azaz District (6 sub-districts)
  • Azaz Subdistrict
  • Akhtarin Subdistrict
  • Tell Rifaat Subdistrict
  • Mare' Subdistrict
  • Nubl Subdistrict
  • Sawran Subdistrict
• Al-Bab District (4 sub-districts)
  • al-Bab Subdistrict
  • Tadef Subdistrict
  • al-Rai Subdistrict
  • Arima Subdistrict
• Dayr Hafir District (3 sub-districts)
  • Dayr Hafir Subdistrict
  • Rasm Harmil al-Imam Subdistrict
  • Kuweires Sharqi Subdistrict
• Jarabulus District (2 sub-districts)
  • Jarabulus Subdistrict
  • Ghandoura Subdistrict
• Manbij District (5 sub-districts)
  • Manbij Subdistrict
  • Abu Kahf Subdistrict
  • Abu Qilqil Subdistrict
  • al-Khafsah Subdistrict
  • Maskanah Subdistrict
• Safirah District (5 sub-districts)
  • as-Safira Subdistrict
  • Tell Aran Subdistrict
  • Khanasir Subdistrict
  • Banan Subdistrict
  • al-Hajib Subdistrict

{{col-end}}

• - includes Aleppo City
  • - a newly created district since 2008, formerly belonging to Mount Simeon District
    • - a newly created district since 2009, formerly belonging to Al-Bab District

Climate

Aleppo Governorate has a semi-arid climate. The mountain series that runs along the Mediterranean coast, namely Mount Alawites and Mount Amanus, largely block the effects of the Mediterranean on climate (rain shadow effect).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} The average temperature in the governorate is {{Convert|15-20|C|}}. The average precipitation ranges from {{convert|500|mm|0|abbr=on}} in the western parts of the governorate to {{convert|200|mm|0|abbr=on}} in the easternmost parts and {{convert|150|mm|0|abbr=on}} in the southeastern desert. 80% of precipitation occurs between October and March. Snow is usually in winter. The average humidity is 60% in the west and 55% in the east.{| align="center"width=100%|location = Aleppo (1946-2004)|metric first = Y|single line = Y|Jan record high C = 17|Feb record high C = 21|Mar record high C = 31|Apr record high C = 34|May record high C = 41|Jun record high C = 47|Jul record high C = 46|Aug record high C = 43|Sep record high C = 41|Oct record high C = 37|Nov record high C = 30|Dec record high C = 18|year record high C= 47|Jan high C = 10.3|Feb high C = 12.6|Mar high C = 16.9|Apr high C = 22.6|May high C = 28.7|Jun high C = 33.6|Jul high C = 36.2|Aug high C = 36.1|Sep high C = 33.2|Oct high C = 27.0|Nov high C = 16.8|Dec high C = 11.9|Jan mean C = 5.6|Feb mean C = 7.4|Mar mean C = 11.0|Apr mean C = 15.8|May mean C = 21.1|Jun mean C = 25.8|Jul mean C = 28.3|Aug mean C = 28.1|Sep mean C = 25.2|Oct mean C = 19.4|Nov mean C = 12.3|Dec mean C = 7.3|year mean C = 17.3|Jan low C = 1.7|Feb low C = 2.4|Mar low C = 5.0|Apr low C = 8.9|May low C = 13.5|Jun low C = 18.1|Jul low C = 20.9|Aug low C = 20.9|Sep low C = 17.3|Oct low C = 12.4|Nov low C = 6.4|Dec low C = 3.3year low C= 10.9year low F =51.6|Jan record low C = −13|Feb record low C = −10|Mar record low C = −7|Apr record low C = −2|May record low C = 0|Jun record low C = 9|Jul record low C = 16|Aug record low C = 15|Sep record low C = 7|Oct record low C = 5|Nov record low C = −3|Dec record low C = −8|year record low C= −13|Jan precipitation mm = 60.3|Feb precipitation mm = 52.0|Mar precipitation mm = 46.1|Apr precipitation mm = 33.6|May precipitation mm = 17.9|Jun precipitation mm = 2.3|Jul precipitation mm = 0.1|Aug precipitation mm = 0.3|Sep precipitation mm = 2.2|Oct precipitation mm = 19.2|Nov precipitation mm = 35.2|Dec precipitation mm = 59.6|year precipitation mm=|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm|Jan precipitation days= 13|Feb precipitation days= 14|Mar precipitation days= 10|Apr precipitation days= 7|May precipitation days= 4|Jun precipitation days= 1|Jul precipitation days= 0|Aug precipitation days= 0|Sep precipitation days= 1|Oct precipitation days= 4|Nov precipitation days= 7|Dec precipitation days= 11|year precipitation days=|Jan sun = 120.9|Feb sun = 140.0|Mar sun = 198.4|Apr sun = 243.0|May sun = 319.3|Jun sun = 366.0|Jul sun = 387.5|Aug sun = 365.8|Sep sun = 303.0|Oct sun = 244.9|Nov sun = 186.0|Dec sun = 127.1|year sun=3001.9|source = World Meteorological Organization,WEB,weblink World Weather Information Service – Aleppo, World Meteorological Organization, 10 November 2012, Hong Kong Observatory (sun 1961–1990)WEB,weblink Climatological Information for Aleppo, Syria, Hong Kong Observatory, 10 November 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304051035weblink">weblink 4 March 2016, dead, |source 2 = BBC Weather (record highs and lows)WEB,weblink Average Conditions Aleppo, Syria, 10 November 2012date=November 2010, }}

Economy

Agricultural output from Aleppo mainly focuses on cereal and cotton production. However, since the Syrian Civil War, many Aleppo based commerce have now relocated across the border into Turkey, especially Gaziantep.WEB, Butter, David, 2015, Syria's Economy: Picking up the Pieces,weblink 5 November 2022, Chatham House, 9, 14, Economic conditions have deteriorated in the Aleppo region and have caused prices of goods to rise. The war in Ukraine and reductions in the Euphrates' river water levels are expected to cause a major impact on water and electricity access as well as food security within the region.WEB, Informal Site and Settlement Profiles: Aleppo Governorate, Syria (February 2022) - Syrian Arab Republic {{!, ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/informal-site-and-settlement-profiles-aleppo-governorate-syria-february-2022 |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=reliefweb.int |date=16 May 2022 |language=en}}

Population

As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 4,045,200. A 2011 UNOCHA estimate put the population at 4,867,900, though this has likely changed since the start of the war.{{citation |url=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Syria%20governorate%20profiles%206%20August%202014.pdf|publisher= UNOCHA |title= Syrian Arab Republic - Governorates profile|date=June 2014|access-date= 20 March 2020}}

References

{{Reflist}}{{Administrative divisions of Aleppo Governorate}}{{Governorates of Syria}}{{Authority control}}