Ariha (Syria)
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Ariha أريحا |
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|---|---|
 Ariha
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| Coordinates: 35°49′N 36°36′E / 35.817°N 36.600°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | Idlib Governorate |
| District | Ariha District |
| Subdistrict | Ariha |
| 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.
In 712 AD, when Muhammad Bin Qasim entered in Sindh with the 12,000 troops of his army, the 6000 soliders were from this city. After some years they decided to live in India and now they are known as Arain in Pakistan and India.
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