Qudsaya (Arabic: قدسيا, romanized: Qudsayā) is a Syrian city in Rif Dimashq Governorate and the administrative centre of Qudsaya District. The city is located on the western slope of Mount Qasioun, 7 km west of Damascus. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Qudsaya had a population of 33,571 in the 2004 census.[1] Adjacent to the town is the modern suburb of Dahiyat Qudsaya. The city mostly consists of Alawites and Circassians.
Qudsaya
قدسيا | |
|---|---|
  Qudsaya Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 33°32′N 36°13′E / 33.533°N 36.217°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | Qudsaya |
| Subdistrict | Qudsaya |
| Control |  Syrian opposition |
| Elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 33,571 |
History
editDuring the Syrian Civil War, the town was taken by the rebels and blockaded by the government in 2012.[2] A truce ending the blockade was reached in November 2013.[3] The government placed the town under siege again in July 2015, until a deal was reached in November 2015 for the rebels to be transferred to Idlib province.[4] On 12 October 2016, armed fighters turned in their weaponry as per the surrender deal in which about 150 rebel fighters from Qudsaya and al-Hamah will be allowed safe-passage to rebel-held areas in Idlib. More than 300 rebel fighters who have chosen to stay behind will have their cases settled.[5][6] The agreement was completed on the following day, with rebels being allowed to leave along with their family members.[7]
Geography
editClimate
editQudsaya has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Qudsaya is 15.9 °C (60.6 °F). About 258 mm (10.16 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Qudsaya | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.8 (51.4) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.2 (61.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.4 (93.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
25.9 (78.6) |
18.8 (65.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
23.0 (73.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
16.3 (61.3) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.1 (37.6) |
8.9 (47.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 60 (2.4) |
47 (1.9) |
30 (1.2) |
15 (0.6) |
10 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
10 (0.4) |
31 (1.2) |
55 (2.2) |
258 (10.2) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, Climate data | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ "Syrian army reported to be carrying out a major offensive on Qudsaya". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "Truce Reached In Blockaded Town Of Qudsaya". Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "Qudsaya siege: Syrian rebels transferred to Idlib under deal". Al-Araby. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ Adra, Zen (12 October 2016). "Syria: Rebels hand over weapons as per evacuation deal". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ استمرار عمليات إدخال حافلات إلى قدسيا والهامة لتهجير من تبقى من المقاتلين وعوائلهم SOHR (13 October 2016)
- ^ Displacing of hundreds of fighters and their families from al-Hameh and Qudsayya is completed SOHR (13 October 2016)
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