Aleppo Governorate
Aleppo Governorate (Arabic: محافظة حلب / ALA-LC: Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab / [muˈħaːfaðˤat ˈħalab]) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the total population of Syria. The governorate is the fifth in area with an area of 18,482 km2 (7,136 sq mi),[2] or 18,498 km2,[3] about 10% of the total area of Syria. The capital is the city of Aleppo.
History[edit]
Ancient[edit]
In Classical Antiquity, the region was made up of three regions: Chalybonitis (with its centre at Chalybon or Aleppo), Chalcidice (with its center at Qinnasrīn العيس), and Cyrrhestica (with its center at Cyrrhus النبي حوري). This was the most fertile and populated region in Syria. Under the Romans the region was made in 193 CE part of the province of Coele Syria or Magna Syria, which was ruled from Antioch. The province of Euphratensis was established in the 4th century CE in the east, its centre was Hierapolis Bambyce (Manbij).[4]
Under the Rashidun and Umayyad Muslim dynasties, the region was part of the Jund Qinnasrin.[5] In the Abbasid period the region was under the independent rule of the Hamdanids. The Mamluks and then later the Ottomans governed the area until 1918; under the Ottomans, the region was part of the Vilayet of Aleppo.[6]
Modern history[edit]
During the Tanzimat era of Ottoman governance in Aleppo, the authorities established the 1858 land reform law along with schemes to introduce new Bedouin settlers to northern Syria. These programs led to a stronger integration of Aleppo with the economy of the Ottoman heartland in Anatolia. It also paved the way for European capitalists to exploit agricultural resources of the region and caused internal trade to shift into the hands of European merchants.[7]
In the early 20th century, during the French Mandate the region was part of the short-lived State of Aleppo.[8]
Aleppo Governorate formerly included Idlib Governorate, until the latter was split off circa 1960.[3]
Syrian Civil War (2011-present)[edit]
The governorate has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the Syrian Civil War. In June 2017, nearly six years after the war's start, the province was almost equally divided between Syrian Government forces, Syrian Opposition forces, Turkish Army /TFSA and the Rojava/Syrian Democratic Forces. After fierce fighting, the Syrian Arab Army with Russian air support managed to take control of the capital of the Governorate, Aleppo, in December 2016 from Fatah Halab coalition.
In August 2016, the Turkish Army, backed by the Free Syrian Army launched the Operation Euphrates Shield in order to drive ISIL from the border towns of Jarablus, A'zaz and Al-Bab. The operation resulted in success and starting in May 2017, the region is now under Turkish occupation.[9][10] The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was largely removed from the area after the Syrian Arab Army launched the East Aleppo Offensive, the Maskanah Plains offensive, and the Southern Raqqa Offensive.
In January 2018, the Turkish army backed by the Free Syrian Army launched the Turkish military operation in Afrin against the YPG, which resulted in the capture of the city of Afrin and the entire Afrin District.[11]
Economy[edit]
Agricultural output from Aleppo mainly focuses on cereal and cotton production. However, since the Syrian Civil War, many Aleppo based commerce have now relocated across the border into Turkey, especially Gaziantep.[29] Economic conditions have deteriorated in the Aleppo region and have caused prices of goods to rise. The war in Ukraine and reductions in the Euphrates' river water levels are expected to cause a major impact on water and electricity access as well as food security within the region.[30]