As-Safira
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As-Safira السفيرة Sfireh, Sipri |
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|---|---|
 As-Safira
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| Coordinates: 36°04′N 37°22′E / 36.067°N 37.367°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | Al-Safira |
| Subdistrict | Al-Safira |
| Elevation | 348 m (1,142 ft) |
| Population (2007 est.) | |
| • Total | 106,382 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
As-Safira (Arabic: السفيرة / ALA-LC: as-Safīrah; North Syrian Arabic: Sfīre) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. It is the administrative center for the as-Safira District. As Safīrah has an altitude of 348 meters (1,142 ft), and a population of 106,382 as of 2007[update], making it the 11th largest city per geographical entity in Syria.
Medieval geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi spells the name Asfīrah (أسفيرة), not as-Safira (السفيرة), which indicates that the definite article in the modern spelling is a result of hypercorrection.
As-Safira was known in pre-Islamic times as Sipri. Historians have suggested that the name Sipri may have come from the Akkadian word siparru meaning "bronze", which might indicate that copper was mined and bronze was worked there.
Since ancient times the city has been the distribution point for salt gathered from the nearby Sabkhat al-Jabbul.
The Sfire I Treaty which may contain 8th century BCE evidence of a deity called "Most High."
Coordinates: 36°04′40″N 37°22′24″E / 36.07778°N 37.37333°E
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