Al-Mushrifah (, also spelled ''al-Mishirfeh'', ''el-Mishrife'' or ''Musharrfeh'') is a village in central

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 ...

, administratively part of the

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its geography differs in various locations in the governorate, from to . ...

, located northeast of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

, with a population of 14,868 in 2004. Nearby localities include

Ayn al-Niser Ayn al-Niser (, also spelled Ain al-Nisr or Ayni-Nasir) is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located northeast of Homs. Nearby localities include al-Mishirfeh to the west, Ayn al-Dananir to the northwest, Izz a ...

, Umm al-Amad and

al-Mukharram Al-Mukharram (), also known as Mukharram al-Fawqani (; also spelled Makhem Fuqani or ''Mkhurem Fouqani'') is a small city in central Syria, capital of the al-Mukharram District, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located northeast ...

to the east, and

Talbiseh Talbiseh (, also spelled Talbisa, Tell Bisa, Talbeesa) is a large town in northwestern Syria administratively part of the Homs Governorate, about 10 kilometers north of Homs. Nearby localities include al-Rastan to the north, al-Ghantoo to the sou ...

al-Ghantu Al-Ghantoo () or al-Ghantu, ALA-LC: ''al-Ghānṭū'': but the original name is spelled: الغُنْثُر/ Al-Ghonthor, which means the land of fountains) is a town in the west of Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located nor ...

and Teir Maalah to the west. Outside the modern town is Tell el-Mishrife, the site of the ancient city-state of

Qatna Qatna (modern: , Tell al-Mishrifeh; also Tell Misrife or Tell Mishrifeh) was an ancient city located in Homs Governorate, Syria. Its remains constitute a tell situated about northeast of Homs near the village of al-Mishrifeh. The city was an ...

. It has a religiously mixed population of

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

Alawites Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...

and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. The village contains several mosques and two churches.

History

In the mid-19th century, the village of al-Mushrifah was built within the ancient site of

(Tell al-Mishrifeh). Houses were built on top of the royal palace floors, which caused some damage to them while also providing a protective cover for the underlying ruins. In 1940, its population was 1,500. In the 1950s, under the influence of the

Syrian Communist Party The Syrian Communist Party () was a political party in Syria founded in 1944 as a division of the Syrian–Lebanese Communist Party, which later split into the Syrian Communist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party. In 1972, it became a memb ...

, some of the peasants of al-Mushrifah rose against their landlord by seizing his harvest. In 1982, the Syrian

Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums The Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums (DGAM); , ) is a Syrian government-owned agency that is responsible for the protection, promotion and excavation activities in all sites of national heritage in the country. The Directorate was e ...

resettled the inhabitants in a new village next to the ancient tell, making the site available for modern archaeological research.

References

Bibliography

* * * Alawite communities in Syria Christian communities in Syria Populated places in Homs District {{HomsSY-geo-stub