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Masyaf
Masyaf ( ar, مصياف ') is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The city is well known for its large medieval castle, particularly its role as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismailis and their elite Assassins unit. Etymology Throughout the Islamic era and until the modern day, the Arabic name of the city was pronounced in a number of different ways by the inhabitants of the region as ''Maṣyaf'', ''Maṣyat'' or ''Maṣyad''. The Arabic name is a local pronunciation that evolved from the Assyrian name ''Manṣuate''. The "nṣw" in ''Manṣuate'' correlates with the Arabic "nṣṣ", which means "to set up", according to orientalist scholar Edward Lipinsky. Moreover, Lipinsky suggests that the Assyrian name was likely a configuration of the Assyrian word ''manṣuwatu'' which correlates with the Arabic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of Assassins
The Order of Assassins or simply the Assassins ( fa, حَشّاشین, Ḥaššāšīn, ) were a Nizārī Ismāʿīlī order and sect of Shīʿa Islam that existed between 1090 and 1275 CE. During that time, they lived in the mountains of Persia and in Syria, and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East through the covert murder of Muslim and Christian leaders who were considered enemies of the Nizārī Ismāʿīlī State. The modern term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins. Nizārī Ismāʿīlīsm formed in the late 11th century after a succession crisis within the Fatimid Caliphate between Nizār ibn al-Mustanṣir and his half-brother, caliph al-Musta‘lī. Contemporaneous historians include Arabs ibn al-Qalanisi and Ali ibn al-Athir, and the Persian Ata-Malik Juvayni. The first two referred to the Assassins as ''batiniyya'', an epithet widely accepted by Ismāʿīlīs themselves. Overview The Nizari Isma'i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masyaf Castle
Masyaf Castle ( ar, قلعة مصياف), also Masyaf Castle, is a medieval structure in the town of Masyaf in Hama Governorate, Syria, situated in the Orontes Valley, approximately 40.03 kilometres to the west of Hama. It served to protect the approach to other Ismaili castles in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Jabal Ansariya) at a site controlling the trade routes to cities further inland such as Banyas. The castle itself stands on a platform about 20 metres above the surrounding plain. It became famous as the stronghold from which Rashid ad-Din Sinan, known as the Old Man of the Mountain, ruled from 1166-1193. He was a leader of the Syrian branch of the Shia Nizari Isma'ili sect, also known as the Assassins, and a figure in the history of the Crusades. History Evidence suggests that the lower layers and foundations of the castle are of Byzantine origin. Later levels were added by the Nizari Shia Isma'ilis, Mamluks, and Ottomans, with most of the current remains dating b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nizari Ismaili State
The Nizari state (the Alamut state) was a Shia Nizari Ismaili state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people were also known as the ''Assassins'' or ''Hashashins''. The state consisted of a nexus of strongholds throughout Persia and Syria, with their territories being surrounded by huge swathes of hostile territory. It was formed as a result of a religious and political movement of the minority Nizari sect supported by the anti- Seljuk population. Being heavily outnumbered, the Nizaris resisted adversaries by employing strategic, self-sufficient fortresses and the use of unconventional tactics, notably assassination of important adversaries and psychological warfare. Despite being occupied with survival in their hostile environment, the Ismailis in this period developed a sophisticated outlook and literary tradition. Almost two centuries after ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masyaf Nahiyah
Masyaf Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية مركز مصياف) is a Syrian ''nahiyah'' (subdistrict) located in Masyaf District in Hama. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Masyaf Subdistrict had a population of 68184 in the 2004 census. References Masyaf Masyaf ( ar, مصياف ') is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The c ... Masyaf District {{HamaSY-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masyaf District
Masyaf District ( ar, مصياف ') is a district ( mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 169,341. Its administrative centre is the city of Masyaf. Sub-districts The district of Masyaf is divided into five sub-districts or nahiyahs (population according to 2004 official census): *Masyaf Subdistrict (ناحية مصياف): population 68,184. *Jubb Ramlah Subdistrict Jubb Ramlah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية جب رملة) is a Syrian ''nahiyah'' (subdistrict) located in Masyaf District in Hama. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Jubb Ramlah Subdistrict had a population of 39,814 in t ... (ناحية جب رملة): population 39,814. * Awj Subdistrict (ناحية عوج): population 33,344. * Ayn Halaqim Subdistrict (ناحية عين حلاقيم): population 16,502. * Wadi al-Uyun Subdistrict (ناحية وادي العيون): population 12,951. References {{HamaSY-ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hama Governorate
Hama Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the south, Raqqa Governorate to the west, Homs Governorate to the north, and Tartus and Latakia Governorate to the east. It is the only Governorate (excluding Damascus) that does not border a foreign country. Measures of its area vary from 8,844 km2 to 8,883 km2, with its capital being the city of Hama. History Archaeological sites * Al Qubays - medieval castle * Apamea - Graeco-Roman city * Bourzey castle - Byzantine castle * Masyaf Castle - medieval castle * Shmemis - Ayyubid castle * Tell Asharneh - possible site of Bronze Age Tunip * Tell Qarqur - ancient settlement Modern Syria Hama has historically been a centre of opposition to the Assad regime, and it was the centre of an uprising in the late 1970s to the early 1980s that resulted in the 1982 Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rafania
Raphanea or Raphaneae ( grc, Ῥαφάνεια; ar, الرفنية, al-Rafaniyya; colloquial: ''Rafniye'') was a city of the late Roman province of Syria Secunda. Its bishopric was a suffragan of Apamea. History Josephus mentions Raphanea in connection with a river Σαββατικον, referred now to as Sambatiyon that flowed only every seventh days (probably an intermittent spring now called Fuwar ed-Deir) and that was viewed by Titus on his way northward from Berytus after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Near Emesa, Raphanea was the fortified headquarters of the Legio III Gallica from which was launched the successful bid of 14-year-old Elagabalus to become Roman Emperor in 218. Raphanea issued coins under Elagabalus, and many of its coins are extant. Hierocles and Georgius Cyprius mention Raphanea among the towns of Syria Secunda. The crusaders passed through it at the end of 1099; it was taken by Baldwin I and was given to the Count of Tripoli. It was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basil II
Basil II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Βασίλειος Πορφυρογέννητος ;) and, most often, the Purple-born ( gr, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, translit=ho porphyrogennetos).. 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer ( gr, ὁ Βουλγαροκτόνος, ),). and believe the epithet to have entered common usage among the Byzantines at the end of the 12th century, when the Second Bulgarian Empire broke away from Byzantine rule and Basil's martial exploits became a theme of Imperial propaganda. It was used by the historian Niketas Choniates and the writer Nicholas Mesarites, and consciously inverted by the Bulgarian ruler Kaloyan, who called himself "Roman-slayer" ( gr, Ρωμαιοκτόνος, translit=Rhomaioktonos). was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but they were too young to rule. The throne thus went to two generals, Nikepho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismailism
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept Musa al-Kadhim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām. Isma'ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shia Islam, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Caliphate in the 10th through 12th centuries. Ismailis believe in the oneness of God, as well as the closing of divine revelation with Muhammad, whom they see as "the final Prophet and Messenger of God to all humanity". The Isma'ili and the Twelvers both accept the same six initial Imams; the Isma'ili accept Isma'il ibn Jafar as the seventh Imam. After the death of Muhammad ibn Isma'il in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Districts Of Syria
The 14 governorates of Syria, or ''muhafazat'' (sing. '' muhafazah''), are divided into 65 districts, or ''manatiq'' (sing. '' mintaqah''), including the city of Damascus. The districts are further divided into 281 subdistricts, or ''nawahi'' (sing. '' nahiya''). Each district bears the same name as its district capital. Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the minister of the interior. These officials work with elected district councils to attend to assorted local needs, and serve as intermediaries between central government authority and traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders, and councils of elders. List of districts The 65 districts are listed below by governorate (with capital districts in bold text). The city of Damascus functions as a governorate, a district and a subdistrict. Parts of Quneitra Governorate have been under Israeli occupation since 1967 (see Golan Heights). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Ghab Plain
The Ghab Plain ( ar, سَهْلُ ٱلْغَابِ, Sahl al-Ġāb, literally: Forest Plain) is a fertile depression lying mainly in the Al-Suqaylabiyah District in northwest Syria. The Orontes River, flowing north, enters the Plain near Muhradah, around 25 km north-west of Hama.Federal Research Division, 2004, p. 74.Topography and Hydrology Map of the Orontes valley water-security.org 
The valley was flooded for centuries by the waters of the Orontes River, which rendered it a swamp.Sofer, 1999, p. 205. The "Ghab project", beginning in t ...
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Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; la, Antiochia ad Orontem; hy, Անտիոք ''Antiokʽ''; syr, ܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ ''Anṭiokya''; he, אנטיוכיה, ''Anṭiyokhya''; ar, أنطاكية, ''Anṭākiya''; fa, انطاکیه; tr, Antakya. was a Hellenistic, and later, a Biblical Christian city, founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. This city served as the capital of the Seleucid Empire and later as regional capital to both the Roman and Byzantine Empire. During the Crusades, Antioch served as the capital of the Principality of Antioch, one of four Crusader states that were founded in the Levant. Its inhabitants were known as ''Antiochenes''; the city's ruin lies on the Orontes River, near Antaky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
