Al-Haffah الحفة |
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Town | |
Location in Syria | |
Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°ECoordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°E | |
Country | Syria |
Governorate | Latakia Governorate |
District | Al-Haffah District |
Nahiyah | Al-Haffah |
Elevation | 310 m (1,020 ft) |
Population (2004 census) | |
• Town | 4,298 |
• Metro | 23,347 |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Al-Haffah (Arabic: الحفة) is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located 33 kilometres (21 miles) east of Latakia. It is the centre of al-Haffah District, one of the four districts (mantiqah) of the Latakia Goverorate. Located at an average height of 310 metres (1,020 feet) above sea level, al-Haffa's population was 4,298 in 2004 according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Together with the surrounding villages in the al-Haffa subdistrict (nahiya) greater al-Haffa had a population of 23,347. Half of the town's inhabitants are Sunni Muslim, about 40% are Alawite, while Christians constitute about 10% of the population. The communities have lived together in al-Haffah for centuries.
The residents of al-Haffa are largely involved in agriculture. The town produces many types of fruits such as olive, fig, pomegranate, apple and pear.
Al-Haffa is surrounded with mountains and located just 7 km to the west of Salah Ed-Din Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area has an ancient history starting with the settlement of the Phoenicians. Later on, it became a strategic point for the invading Crusaders.
Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi visited al-Haffah in the early 13th-century, during Ayyubid rule, and noted that it was a district to the west of Halab (Aleppo), comprising many villages. The cloths called Haffiyyah come from here ..."