Al-Mukharram (), also known as Mukharram al-Fawqani (; also spelled Makhem Fuqani or ''Mkhurem Fouqani'') is a small city 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 ...

, capital of the al-Mukharram District, 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 ...

History

In 1838 al-Mukharram was classified as a ''khirba'' ("ruined" or "abandoned" village") in the District of

Salamiyah file:Hama qalat shmemis salamiyyah syria 1995.jpg, A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995) Salamiyah (; also transliterated ''Salamiyya'', ''Salamieh'' or ''Salamya'') is a city in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is ...

. The general region of the desert plains east of Homs and Hama was repopulated during the late 19th century by local

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

s and by

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch 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 ...

and

Alawite Alawites () are an Arabs, 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 A ...

peasants from the areas west of Homs and Hama, as well as

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

. The modern town was of al-Mukharram was founded in 1882, although its inhabitants struggled to make a living off the semi-arid region.Mattar, Kinan
First Almond Festival in Al-Mukharram
''E-Homs''. E-Syria. 2010-05-06. In 1960, al-Mukharram was still an impoverished village populated by

sharecropper families employed by landlords based in

. Under these circumstances, the Syrian Army provided an attractive alternative for the men of the village to advance socially and economically. Various figures from the town have served in high-ranking positions in the Syrian military and security apparatus, including Muhammad Umran, former Defense Minister (early 1966), whose father had been a religious Alawite ''

shaykh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

'' and a local leader of the town. Other notable Syrian military figures from al-Mukharram include Ahmed Sa'id Salih, the former Chief of

Political Security Political security is one of five sectors of analysis under the framework of the Copenhagen School of security studies. As a Human Security Approach, the concept of political security was briefly defined in the 1994 Human Development Report (HDR) ...

(1970-1987) and deputy Interior Minister, Adnan Badr Hassan, another former Chief of Political Security (1987-2002), and Abd al-Karim al-Razzuq the late 1970s commander of the missile corps and the air defense forces. In 1968, al-Mukharram became the capital of the district that has since shared its name, taking the place of Jubb al-Jarrah, the former district center. Although the village's population was only 2,170 in 1970, well below the government-designated threshold required to become a district seat, the close relationship between the residents and the security establishment allowed for al-Mukharram to be promoted to is current role, according to anthropologist Fabrice Balanche. The old city of al-Mukharram remains a commercial and residential area. The modern city contains a number of schools and community colleges, a weather station, a large carpet-production factory and a large warehouse for storing animal seeds. Agriculture and raising livestock, namely cattle and sheep, constitutes a major sector of al-Mukharram's economy. Grains are cultivated in the dry lands, vegetables in the plains, and olives, grapes,

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

s and almonds in irrigated lands in the hilly parts of the city. The chief agricultural products are olives and almonds.Ibrahim, Shadi
Al-Mukharram: An Oasis in the Heart of the Desert
''E-Homs''. E-Syria. 2010-05-10. The latter crop has become the object of celebration, with residents holding an annual "Almond Festival" since 2010.

Geography

Al-Mukharram is situated on a plain along the western fringes of the

Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert, and steppe, covering about of West Asia, including parts of northern Saudi Arabia, ea ...

, east of the central

Orontes River The Orontes (; from Ancient Greek , ) or Nahr al-ʿĀṣī, or simply Asi (, ; ) is a long river in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Hatay Province, Turk ...

valley. It is located northeast of Homs, the

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

capital, and south of

. Al-Mukharram's old city sits on the Tell al-Shayb hill, while the modern town has expanded up to from and around the hill. The city's area consists of some 600

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s. Nearby localities include al-Mukharram al-Tahtani to the northwest, Uthmaniyah to the north, Abu Hakfah al-Janubi to the northeast, Sankari and Jubb al-Jarrah to the east, Umm Jabab and Umm Tuwaynah to the south and Umm al-Amad and Buwaydat Salamiyah to the west.

Archaeology

In a residential area of the city exists a cone-shaped domed structure built from mud brick and stone. It has a height of and a diameter of . The structure has a wooden door and 13 square or triangle-shaped openings in the upper portion of the dome. It is currently used as a stable or barn and a home has been built adjacent to it. The oldest part of al-Mukharram is built on a '' tell'' (archaeological mound), and there are several other ''tells'' to the northeast.

Demographics

According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Mukharram had a population of 6,202 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and largest locality in the al-Mukharram ''

nahiyah A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, 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 divisi ...

'' ("subdistrict") which consisted of 30 localities with a collective population of 32,447 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. The inhabitants of al-Mukharram and the localities of its district are predominantly members of the

community, particularly from the Khayyatin tribal confederation.Batatu, 1999, p. 154.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mukharram Cities in Syria Populated places in al-Mukharram District Alawite communities in Syria