Al-Aqrabiyah
Aqrabiyah (Arabic: العقربية, also spelled Akrabieh or Aqrabieh; also known as al-Buwaydah al-Gharbiyah) is a village in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located southwest of Homs and immediately east and north of the border with Lebanon. Nearby localities include Zita al-Gharbiyah to the southeast, the district center of al-Qusayr to the east, Arjoun and al-Houz to the northeast and al-Naim to the north.
Aqrabiyah
العقربية Akrabieh | |
---|---|
Village | |
Aqrabiyah Location in Syria | |
Coordinates: 34°32′17″N 36°28′24″E | |
Country | Syria |
Governorate | Homs |
District | Al-Qusayr |
Subdistrict | Al-Qusayr |
Population (2004) | |
• Total | 4,326 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (EEST) |
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Aqrabiyah had a population of 4,326 in the 2004 census.[1] The population is predominantly Shia Muslim and is immediately surrounded by several smaller Shia Muslim villages. Although the village is in Syria, according to the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star its inhabitants are Lebanese.[2] Another Lebanese newspaper, Al Akhbar, writes that 18% of the village's residents are Lebanese citizens.[3] According to the Syrian Center for Documentation, clashes between Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels and the Syrian Army troops took place in Aqrabiyah in July 2012 as FSA fighters attempted to enter Syria from Lebanon.[4]
References
- General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Archived 2012-12-04 at Archive.today. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. (in Arabic)
- Hodeib, Mirella. Lebanese in Syrian villages gear up. The Daily Star. 2012-10-13.
- Choufi, Firas. On the Frontline of the Battle for Syria’s Lebanese Villages Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. 2013-03-02.
- July 2012-07-07, Syrian Crisis Updated. Volitair Network. Originally published Syrian Center for Documentation. 2012-07-07.