Al-Yacoubiyah ( ar, اليعقوبية, al-Yaʿqūbīyah, hy, Յակուբիե; also spelled Yacoubiyeh, Yakoubieh, Yacoubeh or Yaqoubiyah) is a village in north-west
Syria, administratively part of the
Jisr ash-Shugur District
Jisr ash-Shugur District ( ar-at, منطقة جسر الشغور, manṭiqat Ǧisr aš-Šuġūr) is a district of the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre is the city of Jisr ash-Shugur. At the 2004 census, the distri ...
, subordinate to the
Idlib Governorate, located west of
Idlib and just southeast of the
border with Turkey. It is situated in a well-forested mountain above the
Orontes River,
with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level. Nearby localities include
Qunaya adjacent to the east,
Kafr Debbin further to the east, the ''
nahiyah
A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
'' ("subdistrict") center of
al-Janudiyah to the south,
al-Malnad to the west and
Zarzur
Zarzur ( ar, زرزور, also spelled Zerzur, Zarzour or Zurzur) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located northwest of Idlib along the Syrian– Turkish borders on the western bank of the Orontes Ri ...
to the north.
According to the
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Yacoubiyah had a population of 476 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are mostly Christians, roughly split into the
Armenian Apostolic and
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
denominations. The surrounding areas are predominantly inhabited by
Sunni Muslims.
[Christian hamlet escapes Syria war but falls prey to looters](_blank)
''Global Post
''GlobalPost'' is an online US digital journalism company that focuses on international news founded on January 12, 2009, by Philip S. Balboni and Charles M. Sennott. Its stated mission is "to redefine international news for the digital age." ...
''. Originally published by '' Agence France-Presse''. 2013-02-08. There are two Armenian Apostolic churches in Al-Yacoubiyah: Saint Anna ( hy, Սբ. Աննա) and Saint Hripsime ( hy, Սբ. Հռիփսիմե). The last one is built similar to
Ejmiatsin's Saint Hripsime. There is also one Armenian Catholic church.
History
Al-Yacoubiyah, along with the nearby localities of
Kesab
Kessab, Kesab, or Kasab ( ar, كسب ; hy, Քեսապ, Kesab) is a mostly Armenian-populated town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located 59 kilometers north of Latakia. It is situated near the border with ...
and Ghenamiyah, were settled by the
Armenian community between the 8th and 12th centuries CE.
The Vicar of Armenian Prelacy of Gezire: Yakoubiye
The Armenian Prelace of Aleppo. 2004-2007.
In 1929, by the efforts of Armenian General Benevolent Union
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or hyw, Հայ Բարեգործական Ընդ ...
(AGBU) and the Armenian Prelacy, Diocese of Aleppo, an Armenian school was built in the village, where Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
is being taught alongside Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
.
Syrian Civil War
During the ongoing Syrian Civil War which began in 2011, in late January 2013, Al-Yacoubiyah was captured by anti-government rebels. Most of the fighting for the village's capture centered on a Syrian Army post at the village entrance and government troops subsequently withdrew to Jisr al-Shughur
Jisr ash-Shughūr ( ar, جِسْرُ ٱلشُّغُورِ, jisr aš-šuġūr, , also rendered as ''Jisser ash-Shughour'' and other spellings), known in antiquity as Seleucobelus ( el, Σελευκόβηλος, translit=Seleukóbēlos), is a city in ...
. While Al-Yacoubiyah's infrastructure was not significantly damaged and no residents were killed in the clashes, many of its abandoned houses and businesses were looted. Rebels commandeered some of the empty houses of the village, claiming they received permission by its residents. According to local residents, many of Al-Yacoubiyah's Armenians have fled the village while most of its Catholics remained.
See also
* Armenians in Syria
The Armenians in Syria are Syrian citizens of either full or partial Armenian descent.
Syria and the surrounding areas have often served as a refuge for Armenians who fled from wars and persecutions such as the Armenian genocide. However, there ...
* List of Armenian ethnic enclaves
This is a list of Armenian ethnic enclaves, containing cities, districts, and neighborhoods with predominantly Armenian population, or are associated with Armenian culture, either currently or historically. Most numbers are estimates by variou ...
References
{{Idlib Governorate, Jisr al-Shughur
Populated places in Jisr al-Shughur District
Armenian communities in Syria
Christian communities in Syria