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 to the east, and
Talbiseh,
al-Ghantu 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 ...
s,
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
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 ...
(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 resettled the inhabitants in a new village next to the ancient tell, making the site available for modern archaeological research.
References
Bibliography
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Alawite communities in Syria
Christian communities in Syria
Populated places in Homs District
{{HomsSY-geo-stub