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Al-Haffah

Al-Haffah
الحفة
Town
Al-Haffah is located in Syria
Al-Haffah
Al-Haffah
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°E / 35.59861; 36.03500Coordinates: 35°35′55″N 36°2′6″E / 35.59861°N 36.03500°E / 35.59861; 36.03500
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 ..."


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