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Kafr Shams
Town in Daraa, Syria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kafr Shams (Arabic: كفر شمس, also spelled Kfar Shams or Kafr ash-Shams) is a town in southern Syria administratively belonging to the as-Sanamayn District of the Daraa Governorate. It is 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) northwest of as-Sanamayn, just east of the Golan Heights and situated between Damascus and Daraa. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kafr Shams had a population of 12,435 in the 2004 census.[1] The town's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
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History
Byzantine period
Kafr Shams experienced a construction boom during the rule of the Byzantine Empire, particularly during the reign of Justinian I, mostly focused on large rural housing.[2] The town was dominated by the Ghassanids, an Arab Christian vassal kingdom of the Byzantines. The Ghassanids built a major Monophysite monastery there around 570 CE.[3]
Ottoman era
In 1838, Kefr Shems was noted as a village in the el-Jeidur district.[4]
In 1897, German archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher reported Kafr Shams had a population of 600 Muslims living in 120 to 130 huts. Ancient ruins and subterranean arches were noted in the village and the two Ghassanid monasteries were still largely intact.[5]
Modern era
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Kafr Shams was the scene of clashes between the Israeli Army and the joint forces of the Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian armies.[6]
Civil war
Many residents of Kafr Shams participated in protests against the Syrian government as part of the Syrian revolution.[7]
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Religious buildings
- Old Mosque
- Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque
- Usama ibn Zayd Mosque
- Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque
See also
References
Bibliography
External links
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