Al-Majdal, Suwayda
Al-Majdal
المجدل | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Al-Majdal | |
| Coordinates: 32°47′46″N 36°30′15″E / 32.79611°N 36.50417°E | |
| Grid position | 291/245 |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Suwayda |
| District | Suwayda |
| Subdistrict | Mazraa |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 3,459 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Majdal (Arabic: المجدل) is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Suwayda Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Majdal had a population of 3,459 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Druze, with a Christian minority.[2] It is one of the villages located in the Jabal al-Druze region.[3]
History
In 1596, the village appeared under the name of " Mujaydil " in the Ottoman tax registers as part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Nasiyya in the qadaa of Hauran. It had a mixed population, consisting of 3 households and 2 batchelors who were Muslim, in addition to 14 households and 7 bachelors who were Christians, in all 26 taxable units. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat (1200 a.), barley (450 a.), summer crops (350 a), goats and beehives (150 a.), in addition to occasional revenues (150 a.); the taxes totalled 2,300 akçe. All of the revenue went to a waqf.[4]
In November 2025, al-Majdal saw heavy fighting during the Southern Syria clashes when Druze National Guard forces repelled a major Syrian caretaker government assault involving drones and heavy weapons, with no confirmed change in control.[5]
Demographics
In 2011, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church had approximately 170 believers.[6]
Religious buildings
- Entry of the Virgin into the Temple Melkite Greek Catholic Church[7]
- St. John the Baptist Melkite Greek Catholic Church[8][9]
- Maqam Dawud (David) (Druze Shrine)
See also
References
- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Deprecated link archived 2013-01-12 at archive.today. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Al-Suwayda Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ "Druze communities in the Middle East". British Druze Society. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011.
- ^ Balanche, Fabrice (2017-05-15). Atlas of the Near East: State Formation and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1918-2010. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-34518-8.
- ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 219
- ^ "Clashes erupt between Druze and Syrian government forces in Suwayda". Euronews. 14 November 2025.
- ^ "Melkite :: Melkites".
- ^ "كنيسة دخول العذراء إلى الهيكل – مجدل".
- ^ "كنيسة القديس يوحنا المعمدان – مجدل".
- ^ "Melkite :: Melkites".
Bibliography
- Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.