Sarmin ( also spelled Sarmeen) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located 15 kilometers southeast of Idlib. It has an altitude of about 390 meters. Nearby localities include Binnish to the north, Talhiyah to the northeast, Afs to the east, Saraqib to the southeast, al-Nayrab to the south and Qminas to southwest. The Taftanaz Military Airbase is located to the northeast.
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Sarmin had a population of 14,530 in the 2004 census. It is the only locality in the Sarmin nahiyah ("subdistrict").[ General Census of Population and Housing 2004 . Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. ] Its inhabitants are predominantly .[Oweis, Khaled Yacoub. Syrian opposition won't talk to officials linked to crackdown. Reuters. 2013-02-15.]
History
Medieval period
Sarmin was the site of a major military confrontation between the
Crusaders and the
Seljuk Turks. In the 13th century the town was celebrated, though small, and the inhabitants were
Ismailism, according to
Yaqut al-Hamawi.
[le Strange, 1890, p. 532] The
Ayyubid dynasty ruler of
Hama and scholar Abu'l-Fida described Sarmin as a town with much land and dependencies, with very fertile soil. The town had a
Jama masjid and lacked walls.
[ In 1355 Sarmin was visited by Ibn Battuta, who wrote of the abundance of trees, mostly , growing there. Soap-making was widely practiced, and their "brick soap" was exported to Damascus and Cairo. In addition, a perfumed soap, colored red and yellow, was produced. Cotton products were also made. He also made reference to a "fine" mosque with nine domes.][
]
Syrian Civil War
Sarmin was shelled during the Syrian Civil War, and one of its mosques was severely damaged.[ "7 White Helmets rescuers shot dead in Syria gun attack", CNN.com] A school was hit by artillery, killing 5 children on January 1, 2020.[ "Five children reported killed in attack on school in Syria run by Manchester based charity", CNN.com]
Bibliography
