Al-Ariqah

Ariqah (Arabic: عريقة, romanized: ʿArīqa), formerly known as Ahira, is a town in southern Syria with a population of about 3,798 in the 2004 census.^[1] It is located in the heart of the rocky volcanic plateau of Lejah (also called Lajat). Administratively Ariqah is situated in the Mantiqat Shahba (Shahba district) of As Suwayda Governorate. Ariqah is known for its volcanic cave which is located in a 10 meters deep hollow in the centre of the village. This cave is known as Ariqa Cave which extends from 2 to 3 kilometers in the old lava streams, it is the biggest known cave in southern Syria. Its inhabitants are predominantly Druze.

Ariqah عريقة
Town
Shrine of Ammar bin Yasser in Ariqah
Ariqah Location in Syria
Coordinates: 32°53′20″N 36°29′00″E
Grid position	288/255
Country	Syria
Governorate	as-Suwayda
District	Shahba
Subdistrict	al-Ariqah
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Population  (2004 census)
• Total	3,798
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	+3

History

Historically ‘Arīqah was considered the centre of the inaccessible Lajat, many houses from the Byzantine epoch were found in the town and they are still inhabited by locals, there is also an old ruined Byzantine monastery in the town known as "Deir Ariqa".^{[citation needed]}

Ottoman era

In 1596 Al-Ariqah appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as 'Ahiri and was part of the nahiya of Bani Abdullah in the Hauran Sanjak. It had an entirely Muslim population consisting of 18 households and 3 bachelors. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives and a water mill; a total of 6,500 akçe.^[2]

In 1838, it was noted as Ahiry, a Druze and Catholic village, situated "in the Lejah, south of Dama".^[3]

See also

• Druze in Syria