|
 Often
called the Cradle of Civilization and the Gateway to History, Syria
has a lot to offer history and the development of civilized man. On
the other hand Syria's natural boundaries did nothing for the
security of the land?its strategic location also made it vulnerable
and many conquerors and attackers were able to conquer Syria. It has
been a great crossroad for trade between the Mediterranean and the
East; it exported the Alphabet to the West, and has been linked to
Religion from the beginning, from the Semitic Deities to the
monotheistic faiths.
Settling, Agriculture and the Beginning of
civilization 9000BC:
This is where civilization began. The development of
agriculture in Syria meant settled communities. Tribes and peoples
began to prefer agriculture to hunting and with the appearance of
bronze and copper tools, agriculture developed quickly. Along with
the development in agriculture came a development in trade, as
urbanized communities began to engage in various economic
activities.
Ebla, Mari and the Bronze Age:
3000 - 2000BC:
The Great Kingdoms of
Ebla and
Mari belong to this era. These kingdoms are the sites of where
the invention of writing began. Found in both are tablets of
Cuneiform writing (wedge shaped syllables), the royal archives have
been a source of controversy due to its links with the Old Testament
Ebla, as for Mari 17000 tablets were found. These kingdoms
lasted about 1000 years due to their cultural development, their
rising trade with both Mesopotamia (the land between the Euphrates
and the Tigris) and the Mediterranean, and due to the irrigation of
the Euphrates. Both of these kingdoms were taken over by the
Akkadians from Mesopotamia and then by the Amorites at the end of
this period. The Akkadians were the source of Semitic language that
became the basis for the Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and
Arabic languages.
2000 -
1600BC:
The recovery of trade in this area took a while. Yamkhad the Amorite
kingdom in
Aleppo had taken over
Ebla?and trade began to gradually flourish. However Hammurabi
ruler of Babylon, destroyed Mari.
1600 -
1200BC:
The Hittites from Anatolia and the Egyptians fought heavily for this
land?but gradually the Hittites took over more and more of Syria,
as Egypt was distracted due to religious havoc at home. This period
also saw the rise of
Ugarit where the first Alphabet was established and then taken
over to ancient Greece by the Mycenaeans. This is also about the
time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and settled in
Palestine.
The Hittites and the Arameans 1200 - 539BC:
A lot happened in this period?the most important was that of
the Sea Peoples, a barbaric people who came from several lands
around the Aegean Sea. They took over from the Hittites and
Ugarit. At
Ugarit, a message being sent before their arrival was found in
the ruins. At the same time the Phoenicians were getting stronger
and were establishing colonies around the Mediterranean. Later on
the Arameans began to move across Syria to the North?their language
was spoken by Jesus nearly 1000 years later, and is now still spoken
in the village of Maaloula.
In about
800 BC the Assyrian Empire rose to power and for nearly 2 centuries
they administered Syria and Lebanon. In 612 BC it fell to Babylonia
land of the famous hanging gardens, at its capital Nineveh.
The Persians 539 - 333BC:
In this period Persia conquered Babylonia and took over the
Middle East. Their colonies and provinces were well defended,
governed and administered, and were all linked through an efficient
network of roads. Persia fell at the end of this period to the
Greeks.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic
Empire 333 - 64BC:
The defeat of Darius by the great leader Alexander of
Macedonia was the beginning of Western rule over Syria. The
Hellenistic Empire combined both Western and Eastern cultures but
with a predominantly Greek system and outlook. After Alexander's
death, Greater Syria was divided into two empires one under Ptolemy,
the other under Seleucus. Contemporary Syria was under the
Seleucids. The Seleucids built
Apamea as their Military base using
Latakia as their main port. They also built the fortress of
Doura Europos. All these cities were built under Greek
architectural design and planning. At the end of this period came
the Arab Nabateans from the south taking over
Damascus and
Bosra, while the Romans came from the north.
The Romans and Zenobia 64BC to 395AD:
Although the south was kept under Nabatean control, most of
Syria was brought under control by the Romans and their leader
Pompey. Under Rome, Syria's cultivation and civilization greatly
developed and with the well organized new road network; trade was
able to prosper greatly. It was around this time that the great
empire of
Palmyra flourished under the leadership of Queen Zenobia. She
conquered most of Egypt and Asia Minor but was defeated by the
Romans in 272AD. Through out this time Christianity was spreading
aggressively through the Empire. In 324AD Constantine the Great took
over from Diocletian, and named Constantinople (Istanbul) as his
capital. Under Constantine, a converted Christian,
Christianity began to flourish under imperial patronage…and the
Emperor Theodosius I named Christianity the official language of the
Roman Empire. This change of religion and the moving of the Roman
capital from Rome to Constantinople were the beginning of a new
empire?
The Byzantine Empire 395-632AD:
The Byzantine Empire, a mixture of Greek culture and
Christianity began with the death of Theodosius, when Rome was
divided between East and West. There are many ruins and dead cities
in the North of Syria that reflect the strength and architectural
genius of these Romans. Among the greatest is the
Basilica of St Simeon the Stylite who stood atop a pillar to
pray for 38 years. The Basilica was built around this pillar and it
was a regular place for pilgrims. Justinian was by far the greatest
of the Roman empires during this period, he won back a lot of the
lost land of the former Roman empire and it was he who held off the
Sassanians (from Persia) at
Resafa and
Halabiye. However in 632 the new Islamic faith fighters took
over Syria from the Emperor Heraclius.
Islam:
The Rashedeen Caliphate 632-661AD:
After the death of the prophet Muhammad, the Arab fighters began to
spread
Islam through battles and faith preaching. Under the Caliph Omar
Bin Al Khattab, Syria was taken over form the Byzantines, in 636 the
Muslims fought against the Byzantines in the battle of Yarmuk (on
the river Yarmuk).
The
Umayyad Period 661 - 750AD:
Muawiya former governor of Syria, fought with the Caliph Ali Bin Abi
Talib along the Euphrates, and in 661 when Caliph Ali was
assassinated he took over and made
Damascus capital of the Umayyad territory.
Damascus became the capital of a land extending from Spain in
Andalusia to the Indus River in India. The Umayyads showed tolerance
of the Christian faith and were very encouraging of education and
the sciences. In 750AD
Damascus was taken over by Abu Al Abbas who founded the Abbasid
Dynasty in Baghdad.
Syria
under the Abbasids 750 - 1199AD:
Syria, was neglected greatly under the Abbasid Dynasty, this is
reflected by the lack of Abbasid architecture in Syria, which is
only evident in
Raqqa. After the reign of Harun Al Rashid, the Fatimids in 978AD
took over the South and Damascus, while
Aleppo was ruled by the Hamdanids in the 10th and 11th
Centuries. The Fatimids under the leadership of Caliph Hakim began
to demolish churches in the Holy Land. This coupled with the appeal
for help by the Byzantines against the Seljuks prompted the next
phase of Syria?the Crusades.
The
Crusaders and the Ayyubids 1098 - 1250:
Arriving to Syria in 1098, under Raymond de Saint Gilles, Count of
Toulouse, they took the route via the Orontes Valley (upper) then
through
Hama and
Sheizar to the site that is now
Krak Des Chevaliers. In December 1098 they massacred the Male
population of Maarat Al Numan. When Edessa, a Latin enclave, fell to
Zengi (a Muslim leader)?a second crusade arrived from France and
Germany. However they were unable to recapture Edessa and they
couldn't capture
Damascus either. This dampened European enthusiasm. Saladin,
was very influential in the defeat of the Crusaders. He managed to
recapture Jerusalem, Acre, Sidon, and Beirut all in 1187. He also
had many battles against the leader of the third crusade, Richard
the Lionheart.
The
Mamelukes 1250 - 1516:
This period was not very positive for the Syria and the Syrians.
Eight years after the Burgi Mamelukes took power (from their capital
in Cairo), saw the attack of the Mongols who destroyed everything in
their way. Under Baybars the Mameluke commander, the Mongols were
defeated and the
Krak,
Safita, and
Latakia were all taken back from the Crusaders (1271 - 1289). In
1291
Tartous was taken back by his successor Sultan Khalil. 1302,
when the Crusade garrison in
Arwad was taken back, saw the end of the Crusader venture in the
Middle East. A second group of Mamelukes, the Burgis, took power in
1382. It took decades of rivalries between them and their
predecessors the Bahris before they took power. This undermined
their defense and in 1400
Damascus was hit by its biggest attacker yet, Tamerlane. He
destroyed most of Syria and with the rerouting of European trade
around Africa, Syria's trade dropped.
The Ottoman Empire 1516-1918:
![[Ottoman Syria (to 1918)]](Syria/sy-tr.gif) In
1516 Sultan Selim I, who defeated the Mamelukes in North
Aleppo, conquered Syria. He later went on to claim himself as
the Caliph. It was under his successor Suleyman the magnificent,
that the
Tekkiye Mosque complex was built in
Damascus. The Ottomans built many
Khans in the souks of both Aleppo and
Damascus. Damascus, which was the last stop for pilgrims bound
towards Mecca, had many great Khans and souks built for this cause.
Aleppo's great Khans on the other hand were built for the
European Merchants after trade was opened up to Europe. Aleppo once
again became the leading city of the Middle East for East-West
trade. Under Ibrahim Pasha, the Son of Muhammad Ali, Damascus became
the centralized government of Syria. Ibrahim Pasha captured Damascus
in 1832 and founded schools, reorganized the judicial system,
reformed the taxation policies and encouraged education. He also put
the Christians and Jews on equal footing with the Muslims. During
the First World War the Ottomans massacred between 1 and 2 Million
Armenians, some in the Turkish run Belsen in
Deir Ezzor. T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs, who revolted against
the Turks, arrived to Damascus led by the forces of Emir Feisal, son
of Hussein, the Sherif of Mecca in 1918.
Syria under the French
Mandate:
![[Syria 1918-1920]](Syria/sy-1918.gif) In
1918 a parliamentary government was established in
Damascus and in 1920 the Emir Feisal, was declared King of
Syria. Syria at this point of time was geographically defined by the
natural boundaries, beginning at the Taurus mountains in Turkey to
Sinai in the South. The Arabs thought Syria would be a
self-governing country, or so it was explained by the British. The
secret Sykes-Picot agreement however would put a stop to this. This
agreement which was set up in 1916 was put into action after the San
Remo meeting. Syria was divided into 4 parts, and shared by Britain
and France. Current day Syria and Lebanon went to the French, while
Palestine and Jordan would go to the British. King Feisal was made
King of Iraq.
Syria was
then divided by the French into the separate provinces or states of
Aleppo,
Damascus,
Latakia, and the Hauran. Aleppo was later brought into the state
of Syria whose capital was Damascus. In 1925, the Druze population
in the Hauran revolted and moved towards the capital, which prompted
the heavy bombardment of Damascus by the French. In 1939 the state
of Iskanderoun was given to the Turks in order to keep them neutral
during the second world war. In 1942 Hauran and Latakia were
incorporated into the Syrian state. In 1945 Syria gained
independence and in 1946 the last of the French were seen.
The Final Chapter:
With most of the Arab states gaining their independence
around this time, Arab unity was revived. Syria entered several
agreements, namely forming with Egypt in 1958 to form the United
Arab Republic. In 1962 however it dissolved and in 1963 the Syrian
Baath Party took control.
Source:
Syria Gate - All About Syria |
