Al-Dirbasiyah (, ) is a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

on the Syria–Turkey border opposite the Turkish town of Şenyurt. Administratively it is part of the

Al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate (; ; , also known as , ''Gozarto'') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is located in the far north-east corner of Syria and distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water ...

. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Dirbasiyah had a population of 8,551 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") consisting of 113 localities with a combined population of 55,614 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Al-Hasakah Governorate. The majority of the inhabitants of the town are

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

while

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

and Assyrian are a minority. It is connected by road to Tell Beydar in the south.

Etymology

The town of Dirbasiyah is named after St Osyo the Wise, the Saint patron of the city, with "Dirbasiyah" being the Arabized version of the Syriac name, meaning "The path (Darbo) of Osyo (Asiyah)". A church is dedicated to this saint in this city.

History

According to al-Mas'udi, the town was the stronghold of the Kurdish Kikan tribe.

Civil war

On 22 July 2012, during the Syrian Civil War, Kurdish-led YPG forces took control over the town, after Syrian government forces, following an ultimatum issued by the YPG, withdrew from it. The town was thus brought into the AANES. The Syrian Army entered the town in October 2019, as part of the Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone Agreement. On 16 July 2020, an unknown UAV suspected to be Turkish carried out a strike against a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n coordination point south of al-Dirbasiyah. Two Russian soldiers, one SAA member and two members of the Asayish were injured in the strike.

Notable people

* Ferhad Şamî, Kurdish military leader

References

Populated places in Ras al-Ayn District Towns in Syria Syria–Turkey border crossings Kurdish communities in Syria {{AlHasakahSY-geo-stub