Idlib
Idlib (Arabic: إِدْلِب, romanized: ʾIdlib, pronounced [ʔid.lib]; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level, and is 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo. The city was taken over by Syrian revolution at the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and by 2017 was the seat of the Syrian Salvation Government.
Demographics[edit]
In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Syria, Idlib had a population of 98,791 and in 2010 the population was around 165,000. The inhabitants are mostly Sunni Muslim,[2] although there was previously a significant Christian minority, but by 2022 there was only a single elderly Christian man left in the city.[3][4][5] Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyah (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriyah, and al-Qusour.
Culture[edit]
The Idlib Regional Museum in the city contains over 17,000 of the Ebla tablets and serves as Idlib's main tourist attraction, excluding the nearby ancient site of Ebla itself. Under the Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the governments of Italy and Syria, the museum was to undergo a restoration and renovation project starting in 2010.[22]
Sports[edit]
Omayya SC, founded in 1972, is the most popular football team in the city. The club played in the Syrian Premier League for the 2011-2012 season. Idlib Municipal Stadium is the main football venue in the city.
35°56′N 36°38′E / 35.933°N 36.633°E
Refugee and parathlete Dima Aktaa is from the city.[23]