Al-Yaʿqūbiyya
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اليعقوبية Յակուբիե Al-Yaʿqūbiyya |
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| Coordinates | 35 ° 55 ' N , 36 ° 19' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Syria | ||
| Idlib | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | SY ID | ||
| height | 460 m | ||
| Residents | 476 | ||
 View from one church to another church in al-Yaʿqūbiyya
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Al-Yaʿqūbiyya ( Armenian Յակուբիե Jakubie , Arabic اليعقوبية, DMG al-Yaʿqūbiyya ; also called Yacoubiyah , Yakoubieh , Yacoubieh or Yacoubeh ) is a formerly (until 2013) Christian - Armenian village in northwest Syria , part of the Jisr el-Shughur district in the Idlib governorate . Al-Yaʿqūbiyya is located west of the city of Idlib and southeast of the border with Turkey . It is located on a well-fortified mountain above the Orontes River , with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level. Nearby places are Qunaya in the east, Kafr Dibbin further in the east, the nahiyah ("subdistrict") - center of al-Janudiya in the south, al-Malnad in the west and Zarzur in the north. It has been occupied by anti-government rebels since early 2013 and most of its original residents have abandoned it.
population
According to the Syrian Central Statistics Bureau, al-Yaʿqūbiyya had a population of 476 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants were mainly Christians , half Armenian apostolic and half Catholic . The surrounding areas were mostly populated by Sunni Muslims . There were two Armenian Apostolic Churches in al-Yaʿqūbiyya: Saint Anna ( Սբ. Աննա ) and Saint Hripsime ( Սբ. Հռիփսիմե ). The latter was modeled on the Saint Hripsime Church in Etchmiadzin . There was also an Armenian Catholic Church .
history
Al-Yaʿqūbiyya, along with the nearby villages of Kesab and Ghenamiyah, was settled by Armenians between the 8th and 12th centuries AD .
In 1929, through the efforts of the Armenian General Charity Union (AGBU) and the Armenian Prelate of the Diocese of Aleppo, an Armenian school was built in the village, where, in addition to French and Arabic , Armenian was also taught.
Syrian civil war
During the Syrian Civil War , which began in 2011, al-Yaʿqūbiyya was captured by the anti -government rebels in January 2013 . Most of the struggle to conquer the village took place for a Syrian army post at the entrance to the village. The government troops then withdrew to Jisr el-Shughur . While al-Yaʿqūbiyya's infrastructure was not largely destroyed and no residents were killed in the fighting, most of the abandoned homes and businesses were looted and destroyed. The rebels holed up in some houses in the village, claiming that they had permission from the residents. According to initial reports from local residents, most of the Armenian Apostles fled their home village from the rebels, while most Catholics initially stayed.
The Haiʾat Tahrir al-Sham militia has been the dominant rebel group in the region since 2017 . The Franciscans (OFM) of the Custody of the Holy Land , who had a monastery here, refused to go and wanted to continue to be there for the people. On July 4, 2015, the Franciscan Father Dhiya Azziz was kidnapped by Islamists, but released a few days later. Public Christian life is not tolerated by the Islamist militia, which is why all Christian symbols have been removed and Christian celebrations and services can only take place behind closed doors. The modest services are celebrated together by the few remaining Catholics, Orthodox and Armenian Apostolics. Any externally visible jewelry at festivals is expressly forbidden, and jizya will be collected.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Christian hamlet escapes Syria war but falls prey to looters . Global Post . Originally published by Agence France-Presse . February 8, 2013.
- ↑ Ya'qubiyah Map . Mapcarta .
- ↑ Janudiyah nahiyah population
- ↑ The Vicar of Armenian Prelacy of Gezire: Yakoubiye . The Armenian Prelate of Aleppo. 2004-2007.
- ^ Reports say kidnapped Franciscan priest released in Syria. CathNews (Australia), July 14, 2015.
- ↑ How the Christians in the Islamist-controlled villages celebrate Christmas on the Orontes. In the formerly strongly Christian places, nothing “visible” may remind of Christianity - two Franciscans hold the position in the villages of the Idlib province - correspondence with Pope Francis. Ostkirchen.info, December 23, 2018.