Maharda (, ; also transliterated ''Mhardeh'', ''Muhardah'', ''Mahardah'' or ''Mharda'') is a Christian city in western
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
Hama Governorate
Hama Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Gove ...
, located about 23 kilometers northwest of
Hama
Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...
. It is situated along the
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 ...
Halfaya
Halfaya (, also spelled Helfaya) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Mahardah and Shaizar to the west, al-Lataminah and Kafr Zita to ...
and
Taybat al-Imam
Taybat al-Imam (, also transliterated Tayyibat al-Imam or Taibet el-Imam), historically known as Tayyibat al-A'la, is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama.Darke, 2010, p. 145. Nearby l ...
to the east,
Khitab
Khattab (, also spelled Khutab or Khattab) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, northwest of Hama located near the Orontes River River. Nearby localities include Qamhana to the east, Shihat Hama to th ...
to the southeast,
Maarzaf
Ma'arzaf or Ma'rzaf () is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Asilah to the west, Mahardah to the north, Khitab to the east and Umm al-Tuyur to the south. ...
to the south,
Asilah
Asilah () is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact.
History
The town's history dates back to 1500 B.C., when Phoenicians occupied a site ...
Shaizar
Shaizar or Shayzar (; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία in Greek language, Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Near ...
,
Safsafiyah
Safsafiyah () is a Syrian village located in the Mahardah Nahiyah, Mahardah Subdistrict of the Mahardah District in Hama Governorate. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria), Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Safsafiyah had a ...
,
Tremseh
Tremseh (, ''al-Turaymisah''), or in various dialects ''Tremseh'', ''Treimsa'', ''Taramsah'', ''Taramseh'' in the Hama Governorate in northern Syria. It is roughly 22 miles northwest of the central city of Hama. Nearby localities include district c ...
and
Kafr Hud
Kafr Hud () is a Syrian town located in the Mahardah Subdistrict of the Mahardah District in Hama Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kafr Hud had a population of 2,736 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are pr ...
to the west and
Kafr Zita
Kafr Zita (; also transliterated ''Kfar Zita'', ''Kafr Zayta'', ''Kfar Zeita'', ''Keferzita'' or ''Kafr Zeita'') is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located } north of Hama. Nearby localities include Kafr Nab ...
and
al-Lataminah
Al-Lataminah (, also spelled ''Latamneh'' or ''Latamnah'') is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Karnaz to the northwest, Kafr Zita to the north, Murak, Ham ...
to the north.
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Maharda had a population of 17,578 in the 2004 census. It is the center of
Mahardah District
Mharda, also Mahardah or Mhardeh District ( ') is a district (mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 143,953. Its administrative centre is the city of Mahardah.
Sub-districts
The ...
, one of the Hama Governorate's five districts, and the ''
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") of Maharda, which contained 21 localities with a combined population of 80,165 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. Maharda's population was estimated to be 22,442 in 2010. Its inhabitants are predominantly
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
s of the
Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...
.
The
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 ...
was dammed 3 kilometers north, and the Mahardah Dam on the Ghab plain is used to generate
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
.
History
The numerous Christian ruins in the village attest to an ancient Christian presence in Maharda. Maharda's inhabitants claim descent from the
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian state, Christian kingdom unde ...
, a prominent
Arab Christian
Arab Christians () are the Arabs who adhere to Christianity. The number of Arab Christians who live in the Middle East was estimated in 2012 to be between 10 and 15 million. Arab Christian communities can be found throughout the Arab world, bu ...
tribe from the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
era. Along with
al-Suqaylabiyah
Al-Suqaylabiyah () is a city in western Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located about from Hama and overlooks the Ghab Valley. According to the 2004 official census, the town had a population of 13,920.Kafr Buhum, it is one of the few Greek Orthodox, Arab Christian localities in the Hama region.
Ottoman period
In the 16th century, during Ottoman rule (1516–1918), Maharda was the
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ar ...
seat of a
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
called 'Euchaita', spanning the Christian villages of the countryside between
Hama
Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...
and
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 ...
. The affiliated Christian villages were Kafr Buhum, Bsirin, Albiyya, Hanak, Ma'alta and Afiyun. In the early 16th century, Maharda had a population of 4,000, according to an anecdotal account by Patriarch Macarius III Ibn al-Za'im (), a native of the Hama region. The second-to-last metropolitan of Euchaita, Gregorius al-Hamawi, a native of Maharda, ordained 35 priests and 14 deacons. After the death of his successor, Malachi, in 1596 or 1597, Euchaita was dissolved and its diocese was split between those of Hama and Homs, with Maharda assigned to the former.
In 1728, the Christians of Maharda, represented by their chief, were indebted over 5,000 piasters to a moneylender in
Hama
Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...
, Husayn Effendi al-Kaylani. Part of the sum was to help cover
jizya
Jizya (), or jizyah, is a type of taxation levied on non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The Quran and hadiths mention jizya without specifying its rate or amount,Sabet, Amr (2006), ''The American Journal of Islamic Soc ...
(poll tax on Christians) payments to the government. In an 1828 or 1829 tax record, the village consisted of 46
feddan
A feddan () is a unit of area used in Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Oman. In Classical Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen', implying the area of ground that could be tilled by oxen in a certain time. In Egypt, the feddan is the only n ...
s and paid 4,730 akce (450 of which was jizya) to the government treasury, as well as the relatively high sum of 13,250 akce to the '' mutasallim'' (local governor) of Hama, Faraj Agha, which the government later determined was an illicit collection by the ''mutasallim''. The village was recorded as a Greek Orthodox Christian village in 1838.
In the Monastery of St. George in Maharda, whose date of construction is not known, the oldest manuscript there dates to the late 19th century. In 1882 the American
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
church opened a school in Maharda, which the Ottoman governor of
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 ...
closed in 1906 citing the lack of a permit. Numerous emigrants from Maharda left the village in the aftermath of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
In the early 1960s, Maharda was described as "a large Christian village where the houses lie in terraces amid the vines". Maharda historically benefited from its location in a rich agricultural region, its close proximity () to the strategic medieval citadel of
Shaizar
Shaizar or Shayzar (; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία in Greek language, Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Near ...
, and the large landed estates of its residents. The lands expropriated from Maharda alone by the state constituted a proportionally considerable 0.8% of all lands expropriated in the
Hama Governorate
Hama Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Gove ...
in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Employment and businesses in the town benefited from the construction of the Maharda Dam in 1957–1963 and a few years later by the construction of the associated hydroelectric station. Many emigrants returned to Maharda during this period, investing their capital there, opening new services and artisinal businesses, and introducing technology like motor pumps, which stimulated agricultural production.
Many of the villages around Maharda were large, effectively small towns, such as
Kafr Zita
Kafr Zita (; also transliterated ''Kfar Zita'', ''Kafr Zayta'', ''Kfar Zeita'', ''Keferzita'' or ''Kafr Zeita'') is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located } north of Hama. Nearby localities include Kafr Nab ...
Halfaya
Halfaya (, also spelled Helfaya) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Mahardah and Shaizar to the west, al-Lataminah and Kafr Zita to ...
and
al-Lataminah
Al-Lataminah (, also spelled ''Latamneh'' or ''Latamnah'') is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Karnaz to the northwest, Kafr Zita to the north, Murak, Ham ...
, and maintained close commercial ties with Maharda as the chief town and ''
nahiya
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) center of the area. In 1975, Maharda's status was further solidified when it was formally recognized as a city and made the capital of the new
Mahardah District
Mharda, also Mahardah or Mhardeh District ( ') is a district (mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the 2004 Census it had a population of 143,953. Its administrative centre is the city of Mahardah.
Sub-districts
The ...
. The distinctive urban character, wide variety of businesses and the 'elegance' of its young women had earned Maharda the nickname of 'little
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
' among the city dwellers of Hama by the 1980s, according to historians Jean and Françoise Métral. Outside of 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 ...
capitals of Hama and Homs and the major
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
capital 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 ...
, Maharda was the only city in central Syria to command its own zone of influence, at least as of the mid-1990s.
Syrian civil war
During the Syrian Civil War, Maharda has been targeted by rebels, yet remained under government control. Between 2011 and 2018, 97 civilians were killed in rebel attacks on the town. According to pro-government media, the rate of attacks on Maharda increased during the course of the 2017 Hama offensive.
Notable people
*
Ignatius IV of Antioch
Patriarch Ignatius IV ( ; born Ḥabīb Hazīm ; April 17, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All The East from 1979 to 2012.
Life
Habib Hazim was born on April 4, 1920, in the village o ...
(1920–2012),
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
of the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch (), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Rum (endonym), Rūm Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East (), is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox church within the wider ...
and All The East from 1979 to 2012.
* Ghada Shouaa, (born 1972) heptathlete and Syria's only Olympic
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...