Manbij

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منبج / Manbiǧ
Manbij
Manbij (Syria)
Manbij
Manbij
Coordinates 36 ° 32 '  N , 37 ° 57'  E Coordinates: 36 ° 32 '  N , 37 ° 57'  E
Basic data
Country Syria

Governorate

Aleppo
ISO 3166-2 SY-HL
height 460 m
Residents 74,575 (2009)

Manbij ( Arabic منبج, DMG Manbiǧ , also Manbij , Kurdish Minbic , Syrian ܡܒܘܓ Mabbug ("source"), Kara-Membidj ), the ancient Hierapolis Bambyke , is a place in today's Syria in the Aleppo governorate , southwest of the confluence of the Sadschur and Euphrates . Seleucus Nicator renamed the city Hierapolis or Hieropolis because of its temples. The city was best known as the cult center of Dea Syria . It was an important resting place for the caravans to Seleukia and Babylon . Coins were minted here under Antiochus IV .

Location and cityscape

The city is located on the road leading from Aleppo to the northeast, 30 kilometers before the bridge over the Euphrates , which is dammed up here by the Tabqa dam . In 2003 the population was 65,948.

The square minaret of the mosque in the center is dated to the year 1202 according to an inscription. Except for the remainder of a city wall, nothing has survived from the ancient city.

Under its ancient name Hierapolis Bambyke, Manbidsch is the seat of the titular diocese of Hierapolis in Syria dei Greco-Melkiti .

history

Street scene in Manbij (2005)
SDF campaign against ISIS, 2016
Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Manbij in August 2016

In the 3rd century, the city was the capital of the province of Euphratensis ( Commagene ) and one of the largest in Syria, following on from Samosata . Emperor Julian stopped here on his campaign against Shapur . Justinian had new fortifications built. In the 1060s, the Seljuks took the city under Alp Arslan . 1068 conquered Romanos IV. Diogenes the city back then it was in the territory of Philaretos Brachamios until the Seljuks under Malik Shah I. fell. The population adhered to monophysitism . The place was destroyed several times, most recently by Hülegü .

Manbidsch was re-established in the Ottoman Empire in 1879 by Circassian refugees from Vidin , who were settled here after the Russo-Ottoman War in order to form a government-loyal counterweight against rebellious Bedouins . More Circassian families reached Manbidsch in 1905. In addition to land, the Ottoman administration gave them agricultural implements, cattle and money. After initial tensions with the local Bedouin tribe, the Bani Sa'id, the place developed successfully. A local market and administrative center with a small garrison was created. The population was estimated at 2000 in 1932, of which 800 were Circassians and about 100 were Armenians . In 1970 the city had about 16,000 inhabitants.

During the civil war in Syria , Syrian forces withdrew from the city on July 19, 2012, making Manbij one of the first major cities in Syria where rebels or local councils took over the administration. The Syrian air forces bombed the city daily from mid-August 2012 (until at least the beginning of October 2012), primarily affecting the infrastructure. In July 2013 there were several protests against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (IS) in the city . In January 2014, the city was captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

In January 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the Tischrin Dam, southeast of the city, and crossed the Euphrates. At the beginning of June 2016, the SDF, supported by the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), advanced further towards the city. From June 10th, the city was completely besieged by the SDF and the siege ring tightened. On August 3, the SDF controlled around 80 percent of the city area, including the entire western part. On August 6, the SDF had "almost completely" captured Manbij from IS. On August 13, 2016, the city was completely liberated from IS . Since then, the city has been controlled by the Manbij Military Council.

On December 28, 2018, the YPG asked for assistance from the government.

In the course of the Turkish military offensive in northern Syria in October 2019, the US armed forces deployed as a buffer to the Turks withdrew as ordered, and Syrian troops and their Russian allies declared their takeover of the city on October 15.

temple

According to Lucian , the temple of the Atargatis was visited twice a year by pilgrims to pour water into a throat (De Dea Syriaca 13). The Maw, according to Lucian, is a remnant of the Great Flood , and the first temple here was built by Deucalion . Boys sacrificed their first beards in the temple, girls their curls. Occasionally, child sacrifices also took place, with the parents pretending to be a cow. The rich temple was built by Marcus Licinius Crassus in the campaign against the Parthians in 53 BC. Looted BC.

The Christian author (pseudo) Melito of Sardis (Spicilegium Syriacum 44) describes how the goddess Simi, daughter of the highest god Adad , defeated a demon by filling the pit in which he lived with seawater. Sayce equates Simi with Semiramis .

Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius (Saturnalia, I. xvii. §§ 66, 67) mentions the veneration of a pointed-bearded Apollo statue in Hierapolis. The god wears a breastplate and holds a spear in his hand, his cloak is decorated with snakes. According to Makrobios, he is holding something in the other hand that looks like a flower, but it is probably the lightning bolt of Hadad . The god is accompanied by eagles, two women and a dragon.

Not far from the temple was a pond with sacred fish that swam when they were called. Lukian could see a fish that was golden and had a jewel on its fin.

Famous citizens

  • Bardesanes (154–222), Syrian-Aramaic philosopher and Gnostic
  • St. Golinduch († July 13, 591), a Persian woman who had been tortured for her religion under Hormizd IV .
  • Omar Abu Risha (1908–1990), diplomat and poet

Bishops

literature

Web links

Commons : Manbij  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Aramaic name appears on coins from the Achaemenid period as MNBG, later in Pliny (Nat. Hist. V. 23 (19), § 81) in the form Mabog .
  2. ^ The governorates of Syria and all cities of more than 35,000 inhabitants. citypopulation.de, July 20, 2009
  3. ^ Yasser Tabbaa: Constructions of Power and Piety in Medieval Aleppo. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997, p. 100
  4. ^ Norman N. Lewis: Nomads and settlers in Syria and Jordan, 1800–1980. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1987, p. 104.
  5. ↑ Christoph Reuter and Abd al-Kadher Adhun: The Manbij Experiment: Rebels Make a Go of Governing in Liberated City. Spiegel Online, October 2, 2012, accessed October 12, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Loveday Morris: Syrian rebels fear 'side war' as infighting spirals. Washington Post, July 13, 2013, accessed October 12, 2013 .
  7. ↑ Serene Assir / AFP: Syria jihadists lose support as abuses mount. Fox News, July 11, 2013, accessed October 12, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Manbij: troops are advancing on IS stronghold in northern Syria . FAZ, June 6, 2016.
  9. ↑ Rebels drive IS from Manbij . n-tv, August 6, 2016.
  10. ↑ spiegel.de: Syrians in Manbij celebrate liberation from IS
  11. ↑ spiegel.de
  12. ↑ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Syrian army marches into the Kurdish metropolis of Manbidsch | DW | December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018 (German).
  13. ↑ Carlotta Gall and Patrick Kingsley: "Russia Says Its Troops Are Patrolling Between Turkish and Syrian Forces" New York Times of October 15, 2019