| Al-Quniyah القنية | |
|---|---|
  Al-QuniyahLocation in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 35°55′N 36°19′E / 35.917°N 36.317°E / 35.917; 36.317 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Jisr al-Shugur |
| Subdistrict | Al-Janudiyah |
| Elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 587 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Website | Qunaya.com |
Al-Quniyah (Arabic: القنية, also spelled Quniya or Qunaya) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate, located northwest of Idlib, 35 km north of Jisr ash-Shugur, and is in between Lattakia (90 km (56 mi)) and Aleppo ( 120 km (75 mi)). Al-Quniyah is situated 450 meters (1476 ft) above sea level. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Quniyah had a population of 587 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Catholic Christians with a small Alawite minority.
Geography
Nearby localities include Kafr Dibbin (Hamama) to the east, Zarzur, Amud, and Darkush to the northeast, Yakubiyah, Judaida to the west and Jisr al-Shughur to the south.
Town climate is Mediterranean, whereas the winter is cold, rainy, snowy at times; the summer is warm.
History
Missionaries of the Franciscan Fathers (the Holy Land Rangers) (From Latin Catholic) came to the village in 1878 and built a church, Monastery, clinic and the first Arabic school in northwestern Syria, they re-built the church in 1885 and the current church dates to 1932. Postal Service began in 1927 and the telephone arrived to the village in 1929. The municipality was established in 1932 and electricity came to the village in 1935 and the customs in 1937.
In January 2013, during the ongoing Syrian civil war, al-Quniyah and the nearby Christian-inhabited villages of al-Yacoubiyah and Judayda were captured by anti-government rebels. The area became controlled by Salafi jihadist groups, mainly Ahrar al-Sham, Ansar al-Tawhid, Hurras al-Din, the Turkistan Islamic Party and later by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. On 11 May 2015, the village was bombed by the Syrian Air Force, leading to the death of 18 people.
Demographics
al-Quniyah represents one of the five Christian villages in the Idlib Governorate; the others are Al-Yacoubiyah, Judayda, Al-Ghassaniyah and Hallouz. The Christians of al-Quniyah are Catholics who adhere to the Latin Church. Some Alawite families also live in the village. In 2010 the population of the village was around 500 people during the winter and reached 2000 people during the summer, since many inhabitants lived elsewhere in the country, mainly in Aleppo and Latakia. The church organized every year a summer camp for the young of the community. During the last years before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war many inhabitants began to return to live in the village and to invest in the local agricultural economy.
Since 2013, during the civil war, the Jihadist groups active in the area restricted the residents' religious freedoms and most of the properties owned by the Christians were expropriated. Most of the local Christian community abandoned the village, settling mainly in regime-controlled areas, especially in Aleppo. Refugees displaced from other regions of Syria settled in the village, as well as foreign fighters, causing a demographic change. Since 2021, the Syrian Salvation Government led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham has adopted a more inclusive approach, starting a policy of restitution of land, houses and businesses to Christians and encouraging them to return. Since 2023, some young Christian men and families have returned to settle in the village. At the end of 2023, there were an estimated 92 Christian families in al-Quniyah.
Buildings
Some archaeological artifacts date back to 2000 BC. There is an ancient church in the village cemetery of the Church of St.Kiprianos from the fifth century AD.
References
- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Archived 2013-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ Hubbard, Ben (2013-03-07). "Civil war gives Syrian minorities no clear option". Associated Press – via Yahoo News.
- BEN HUBBARD; STEVE NEGUS (8 March 2013). "Civil war gives Syrian minorities no clear option". Press Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ "تقرير الطائفة المسيحية في إدلب" (in Arabic). Center for Environmental and Social Development. 2010-04-15.
- "The 14th Annual Report on human rights in Syria 2015" (PDF). Syrian Human Rights Committee. January 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- Walid Al Nofal; Bahaa Taha (2023-12-11). "HTS looks to Idlib's Christians and Druze to whitewash violations (map)". Syria Direct.
- "Exploiting Christians for Legitimacy in Idlib". Daraj Media. 2024-08-09.
