Kafartab
| كفرطاب | |
 Shown within Syria
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| Alternate name |
Kafr Tab or Kafar Tab Known as Capharda by the Crusaders |
|---|---|
| Location | Northwest Syria |
| Region | The Levant |
| Coordinates | 35°27′33.2″N 36°35′43.2″E / 35.459222°N 36.595333°ECoordinates: 35°27′33.2″N 36°35′43.2″E / 35.459222°N 36.595333°E |
| Type | Fortification and town |
| History | |
| Periods | Medieval, Mamluk, Ottoman |
Kafartab (Arabic: كفرطاب, also spelled Kafr Tab or Kafar Tab, known as Capharda by the Crusaders) was a town and fortress in northwestern Syria that existed during the medieval period between the fortress cities of Maarat al-Numan in the north and Shaizar to the south. It was situated along the southeastern slopes of Jabal al-Zawiya. According to French geographer Robert Boulanger, writing in the early 1940s, Kafartab was "an abandoned ancient site" located 2.5 mi (4.0 km) northwest of Khan Shaykhun.
During the Second Fitna, when the Umayyad army under Yazid I killed Husayn, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the people of Kafartab were among the Syrian cities who mourned Husayn's death and condemned his killers. During the Abbasid era, in the late 9th century CE, Kafartab was noted by medieval Arab geographer al-Ya'qubi as a town "in a thirsty desert plain" with no springs in its vicinity. Its inhabitants collected water from rain showers to store for later use. In 985, al-Muqaddasi wrote that the town belonged to Jund Hims (Homs Province).
Kafartab was besieged by the Banu Kilab tribe in 1012 to pressure the emir of Aleppo, Mansur ibn Lu'lu', to release Kilabi prisoners being held in the Citadel of Aleppo; the attempt failed as Kafartab's defenders repelled the Kilabi tribesmen. In 1026, when the region around the town was ruled by the Kilabi Mirdasid dynasty, the emir of Aleppo, Salih ibn Mirdas, awarded Kafartab to the Banu Munqidh as a feudal territory. The Banu Munqidh were a family from the Kinanah tribe. Until 1080, Kafartab served as their principal headquarters, after which Shaizar became their main fortress. Kafartab's emir in 1041 was reported to be a member of the family named Muqallad. In 1047, it was visited by the Persian traveler Nasir Khusraw.
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Wikipedia