Maarrat Misrin: Difference between revisions
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Ma'arat Misrin once again came under Crusader control after the town capitulated upon the approach of [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem|Baldwin II]] in 1119. The [[Burid dynasty|Burid]] and [[Artuqids|Artuqid]] rulers [[Toghtekin]] and [[Ilghazi]] besieged it the next year, prompting Baldwin II to lead a relief effort. Afterward, a peace treaty between the two factions was made, whereby Ma'arrat Misrin, [[Kfar Tab (West Syrian Diocese)|Kafr Tab]] and [[al-Bara]] would remain with the Crusaders. It served as the Crusaders' camp during [[Aq Sunqur al-Hajib]]'s raids in the area in early 1126 until they were forced to withdraw due to a supplies shortage. In 1129 [[Imad ad-Din Zengi]] stormed Ma'arrat Misrin's suburbs, while the [[Zengid dynasty|Zengid]] governor of Aleppo, Sawar, plundered the town in 1132 before retreating to Aleppo.<ref name="Houtsma58"/> |
Ma'arat Misrin once again came under Crusader control after the town capitulated upon the approach of [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem|Baldwin II]] in 1119. The [[Burid dynasty|Burid]] and [[Artuqids|Artuqid]] rulers [[Toghtekin]] and [[Ilghazi]] besieged it the next year, prompting Baldwin II to lead a relief effort. Afterward, a peace treaty between the two factions was made, whereby Ma'arrat Misrin, [[Kfar Tab (West Syrian Diocese)|Kafr Tab]] and [[al-Bara]] would remain with the Crusaders. It served as the Crusaders' camp during [[Aq Sunqur al-Hajib]]'s raids in the area in early 1126 until they were forced to withdraw due to a supplies shortage. In 1129 [[Imad ad-Din Zengi]] stormed Ma'arrat Misrin's suburbs, while the [[Zengid dynasty|Zengid]] governor of Aleppo, Sawar, plundered the town in 1132 before retreating to Aleppo.<ref name="Houtsma58"/> |
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In 1175, [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] Sultan [[Saladin]] undertook a successful campaign against the Ismailis who controlled Maarrat Misrin and its surroundings. Saladin appointed his maternal uncle, Shihab al-Din al-Hariri, as governor of the area.<ref name=Gibb/> |
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During the summer of 1222, the Ayyubid ''[[emir]]'' of Aleppo, [[al-Salih]], gained control over Ma'arrat Misrin, only to exchange it for [[Aintab]] in 1227.<ref>Houtsma, 1987, pp. 58-59.</ref> |
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===Modern era=== |
===Modern era=== |
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Revision as of 03:15, 21 September 2012
Ma'arrat Misrin
معرة مصرين Ma'arrat Masrin | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib Governorate |
| District | Idlib District |
| Nahiyah | Maarrat Misrin |
| Elevation | 338 m (1,109 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 17,519 |
Ma'arrat Misrin (Arabic: معرة مصرين, also spelled Ma'arrat Masrin) is a small city in northwestern Syria, administratively part of Idlib Governorate. Ma'arrat Misrin lies an elevation of 338 metres (1,109 ft). According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) had a population of 17,519 in the 2004 census.[1]
Etymology
According to Arab middle ages geographers al-Muqaddasi and Abu'l-Fida, the town was also called Ma'arrat Nasrin, in reference to Jund Qinnasrin; the province it formed part of. Syriac manuescripts dating back to the 8th-century refer to the town as Ma'arrat Mesren. The town was known to the Crusaders as Megaret Basrin or Meguaret Mesrin.[2]
History
Ma'arat Misrin was captured by the Muslim army of Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah in 16 AH after defeating a Byzantine force in the Battle of Hazir between the town and Aleppo. Like Aleppo, it surrendered under peaceful terms. Ma'arat Misrin is referred to as "Ma'arat Mesren" in 8th-century Syriac manuscripts. Amr ibn Hawbar served as its governor during the reign of Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil.[3]
Byzantine general Nikephoros II Phokas conquered Ma'arat Misrin in 968 and expelled its 1,200 inhabitants to Anatolia. The following year he made a truce with the Fatimids whereby the latter would gain control over the town. The Bani Kilab under the leadership of Salih ibn Mirdas launched an expedition to conquer Aleppo in 1024. During the offensive Mirdas's commander Abu Mansur Sulayman ibn Tawk captured Ma'arrat Misrin and imprisoned its governor. Later, before 1063, the Byzantines recaptured the town after the local Muslim general Atiya defected from his nephew Mahmud ibn Nasr's army, which was attacking Baalbek. Atiya and the Byzantine army of Antioch subsequently raided Ma'arrat Misrin, burned its outskirts and killed several of its inhabitants. The Seljuks captured it towards the end of the 11th-century and the Seljuk prince of Antioch, Yaghi-Basan, died in Ma'arat Misrin in 1097.[3]
In 1099, Ma'arat Misrin was conquered by the Crusaders who killed the town's defenders and destroyed the minbar ("pulpit") of its mosque.[3] However, after the capture of their king Baldwin II, the inhabitants of Ma'arat Misrin and nearby al-Fu'ah and Sarmin revolted against their Crusader rulers in 1103-04, inflicting heavy casualties against their troops. Within a few years, Ma'arrat Misrin entered the hands of the Ismailis who launched an assault from there against Crusader-held Shaizar in April 1114. However, the Ismailis were routed by the Bani Munqid, a local Arab tribe.[3]
Ma'arat Misrin once again came under Crusader control after the town capitulated upon the approach of Baldwin II in 1119. The Burid and Artuqid rulers Toghtekin and Ilghazi besieged it the next year, prompting Baldwin II to lead a relief effort. Afterward, a peace treaty between the two factions was made, whereby Ma'arrat Misrin, Kafr Tab and al-Bara would remain with the Crusaders. It served as the Crusaders' camp during Aq Sunqur al-Hajib's raids in the area in early 1126 until they were forced to withdraw due to a supplies shortage. In 1129 Imad ad-Din Zengi stormed Ma'arrat Misrin's suburbs, while the Zengid governor of Aleppo, Sawar, plundered the town in 1132 before retreating to Aleppo.[3]
In 1175, Ayyubid Sultan Saladin undertook a successful campaign against the Ismailis who controlled Maarrat Misrin and its surroundings. Saladin appointed his maternal uncle, Shihab al-Din al-Hariri, as governor of the area.[2] During the summer of 1222, the Ayyubid emir of Aleppo, al-Salih, gained control over Ma'arrat Misrin, only to exchange it for Aintab in 1227.[4]
Modern era
Ma'arat Misrin was a large village situated among sesame fields and olive groves in the late 19th-century. In the early 20th-century, American archaeologist Robert Garrett noted that the town's soil was "unusually fertile" and that there was an abundance of fig trees.[5] In the early period of French Mandate rule, Ma'arrat Misrin was the center of a nahiya ("sibdistrict") in the larger district of Aleppo.[3] The town had a population of around 3,000 inhabitants in 1930. In 1945, Maarrat Misrin, which was under the the jurisdiction of the district of Idlib, had 5,000 inhabitants.[2]
References
- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Template:Ar icon
- ^ a b c Gibb, 1960, p. 921.
- ^ a b c d e f Houtsma, 1987, p. 58.
- ^ Houtsma, 1987, pp. 58-59.
- ^ Houtsma, 1987, p. 59.
Bibliography
- Houtsma, M. Thomas (1987). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. BRILL. ISBN 9004082654.
- Gibb, H. A. R (1960). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 1. Brill Archive.
