Ariha, Syria
|
Ariha أريحا |
|
|---|---|
 Ariha
|
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| Coordinates: 35°49′N 36°36′E / 35.817°N 36.600°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
|
| Governorate | Idlib Governorate |
| District | Ariha District |
| Subdistrict | Ariha |
| Occupation | Jaish al-Fatah |
| Elevation | 680 m (2,230 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 39,501 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
Ariha (Arabic: أريحا, also called Rīḥā, ريحا) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located south of Idlib. Nearby localities include Urum al-Jawz to the southwest, Sarjah to the south, Kafr Latah to the southeast, Maar Bilit to the east, al-Nayrab to the northeast, Nahlaya and al-Mastumah to the north, Kurin to the northwest and Maataram to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Ariha had a population of 39,501 in the 2004 census. The town is also the administrative centre of the Ariha District and the Ariha nahiyah (subdistrict), which consists of 24 localities, with a combined population of 83,487 in 2004.
The Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi wrote in 1226 that Ariha was a small town in the district of Aleppo and "one of the pleasantest and best of the places on God's earth." He remarked that it was abundant in orchards, gardens and rivers.
In the mid-19th century, Orientalist Albert Socin passed by Ariha, noting that it had an estimated 3,000 inhabitants and was "beautifully situated" among olive orchards at the northern base of Jabal Zawiya.
Ariha was the scene of fighting between government and rebel forces. FSA repelled a number of deliberate military assaults between March and June 2012, despite the Army’s ability to execute combined arms operations involving armored vehicles, artillery and helicopter gunships. The city was retaken by the Army on 11 August 2012.
By late July 2013, rebels controlled parts of Ariha, while government forces manned three checkpoints inside the town. On 24 August, rebels captured Ariha. The M4 passes through Ariha before connecting with the M5 in Saraqib. Controlling the section of the M4 in Ariha allows opposition forces to cut off government ground supply leaving Latakia destined for Idlib or Aleppo cities. However, after 10 days of bombardment, government forces recaptured the town on 3 September.
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