Al Hasaka
:
Al Hasakeh governorate is the most northeastern of the
Syrian governorates, and the largest in area. It is one of
the most important resources of Wheat and Petrol production
in Syria. This governorate is irrigated by the Khabour
River and the Tigris which forms Syria's border with Iraq
in the northeast tip of Syria. There are also many springs
rich in Sulphur in this area.
There are two main cities in the governorate of Al Hasakeh,
one is Al Hasakeh the other is Qamishli. The population in
these cities is predominantly Christian and Kurdish. The
surrounding areas are mostly desert where Bedouins roam.
The History of Al
Hasaka
The history of this region is not yet fully determined as
archaeologists are still excavating. There are many
artificial mounds that are being excavated most important
of which are Tell Brak, Tell Khalaf, and Tell Aryan. It is
thought that this area was important to the kingdom of
Surbato in the Third Millennium BC. It was followed by the
Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Hittites, Arameans, and
Assyrians who controlled this valley until 606 BC. It then
fell like the rest of Syria into the hands of the Persians,
then the Greeks, the Romans, and the Arabs. This area was
an important trading route during the Abbassid dynasty,
whose capital was in Baghdad.
The village of Ain Diwar in the northeastern tip was put on
the map recently as one of the few places in the world that
saw the Solar Eclipse of 11 August, 1999 very clearly. Many
astronomers and tourists visited from Lebanon and European
countries, where visibility was less clear.
Copyright © Syrian embassy-London 2005