Zita al-Gharbiyah ( ar, زيتا الغربية, also spelled Zeita) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حمص / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from to . It is thus geographic ...

, located southwest of Homs and immediately north of the border with

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. Nearby localities include

Aqrabiyah Aqrabiyah ( ar, العقربية, also spelled Akrabieh or Aqrabieh; also known as al-Buwaydah al-Gharbiyah) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located southwest of Homs and immediately east and north of ...

to the north, Kadesh and

Arjoun Arjoun ( ar, عرجون, Arjūn, also spelled Arcun or Arjoon), is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located southwest of Homs. Nearby localities include Aqrabiyah to the southwest, al-Qusayr to the sout ...

to the northeast, the district center of al-Qusayr to the east and Jusiyah al-Amar to the southeast. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Zita al-Gharbiyah had a population of 2,922 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. The population is predominantly

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

and is immediately surrounded by several smaller Shia Muslim villages. Although the village is in Syria, its inhabitants are Lebanese. In the mid-19th-century ancient ruins were found in Zita al-Gharbiyah. During a military training drill in the vicinity in 2005, stalactite caves were found in the village that resembled the Jeita Grotto in Lebanon. The cave was studied by a team from the al-Baath University of Homs and by the government Department of Tourism and Antiquities. It was determined that cave dates back 60 million years ago. During the ongoing Syrian civil war, Zita al-Gharbiyah has been the scene of several clashes between the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) and local fighters backed by Hezbollah. The village has formed a front with other Shia-majority villages against villages in the vicinity of al-Qusayr that have hosted the FSA. In the summer of 2012, two residents of Zita al-Gharbiyah were kidnapped by the FSA prompting members of the north Lebanon-based Jaafar clan which also inhabits the village to abduct 32 Syrians. Consequently, a reconciliation committee consisting of Shia clans from the

Hermel Hermel ( ar, الهرمل) is a town in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon. It is the capital of Hermel District. Hermel is home to a Lebanese Red Cross First Aid Center. Hermel's inhabitants are predominantly Shia Muslims. There is an ancie ...

region of Lebanon and pro-FSA villages in the al-Qusayr region was formed, resulting in the return of hostages and a calming of tensions. However, clashes had restarted by early 2013.Al-Fakih, Rakan
Lebanese villagers in Syria ride out the storm
'' The Daily Star''. 2013-02-13.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zita Gharbiyah Populated places in al-Qusayr District Shia Muslim communities in Syria