Talaf
Talaf
طلف | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
  Talaf Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 34°54′39″N 36°33′40″E / 34.91083°N 36.56111°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Hama |
| Subdistrict | Hirbnafsah |
| Population (2004) | |
• Total | people (village only) 4,934 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Area code(s) | Country code: 963, City code: 33 |
Talaf (Arabic: طلف) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located southwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Musa al-Houla to the north, Hirbnafsah to the northeast, Kisin to the east, Burj Qa'i to the south, Taldou to the southwest and Kafr Laha and Tell Dahab to the west. It is famous for its agriculture and beautiful nature and overlooks the Hula Valley and the road between Homs and Masyaf. It is located 40 km southwest of Hama and 35 km northwest of Homs. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Talaf had a population of 4,934 in the 2004 census.[1] They are Turkmen and muslim Sunni Arabs who follow the Hanafi school of thought.[2][3][4] It is located at a crossroads that connects Hama Governorate to Homs Governorate and also connects these two cities to the Syrian coast and to the city of Masyaf and the northern region of Syria to Lebanon
The label
[edit]The village is also known among the Turkmen as (Küçük Şam meaning "Little Damascus"). The belief that the reason for this name is that its inhabitants lived in Damascus before they traveled and settled in the village of Talf is a complete mistake. The naming was the habit of the Ottoman Caliphate to name villages with names they gave them, many of which disappeared with the passage of time, but the most common name remained. It was said that the village was pulsating with life and work and looked like a metropolis around it, so this name was given to it in its honor. As for what was said about the name of the village going back to the city of Zuluf in Turkey, from which the villagers came, this is a clear mistake. Talf is written in Turkish as Tıllıf, and it is unlikely that the word was modified from Zülüf, Züllüf, or Zulluf, as there is a big and clear difference between the two pronunciations
the site
[edit]The village overlooks the Hula Plain, and the extension of the Rastan Dam , which ends at the village's borders, and to the east, five kilometers east of Hula, on the road between Homs and Masyaf.
References
[edit]- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Archived 2012-07-23 at archive.today. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ Smith, in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 179
- ^ Hartmann, 2012, p. 54.
- ^ Syrian Turkmen
Village activities and residents
[edit]The village is famous for agriculture, dairy products, especially cream, and its beautiful nature. The percentage of educated people is increasing, including doctors, engineers, and university teachers. However, the educated population has abandoned the Turkmen language, while the less educated families have preserved it, suggesting that the extinction of the Turkmen language is inevitable. There are several schools in the village for all levels, a social services center, and a municipality that oversees its poor service affairs, as the village suffers from marginalization by successive Baathist governments. The village suffers from a chronic problem, which is the bridge that connects the village to the lands located south of the village. It is only suitable for people and bicycles, and cars are not allowed to pass, which forces the farmer to travel a distance of about 8 kilometers to cultivate his land, which is located several meters south of the river.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hartmann, Martin (2012). Reisebriefe aus Syrien (in German). Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3864448010.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
