Al-Suwayda
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as-Suwayda السويداء |
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The Roman amphitheatre
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 as-Suwayda
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| Coordinates: 32°42′N 36°34′E / 32.700°N 36.567°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | As Suwayda Governorate |
| District | As-Suwayda District |
| Population (2004 census) | |
| • City | 73,641 |
| • Metro | 138,822 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
| Area code(s) | 16 |
As-Suwayda (Arabic: السويداء / ALA-LC: as-Suwaydā’), also spelled Sweida or Swaida, is a mainly Druze city located in southwestern Syria, close to the border with Jordan.
It is the capital of As-Suwayda Governorate, one of Syria's 14 governorates, bordering Jordan in the South and the governorates of Daraa in the West and Rif Dimashq in the North and East. The city is referred to by some as Little Venezuela due to the city's influx of affluent Syrian Venezuelan immigrants.
The city has been held by the government for the duration of the Syrian Civil War and has seen relatively little fighting.
The inhabitants of the city are mainly Druze with a prominent Greek Orthodox Christians minority.
The population of As-Suwayda Governorate is 313,231 (2004 census). According to estimates from the Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus, almost 60% of the population of As-Suwayda was born in Venezuelan territory and possesses double nationality, making the city referred to by some as Little Venezuela.
The city was founded by the Nabataeans as Suada. It became known as Dionysias (Greek: Διονύσιας) in the Hellenistic and Roman times, for Dionysus the god of wine - the city is situated in a famous ancient wine-producing region.
The name Dionysias replaced the former Nabatean name of Suada in 149 AD after the Nabataean influence decreased and then concentrated towards the south, as a result of the accelerating Hellenization of Coele-Syria at that time.
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