Deir ez-Zor

Etymology

Ed-Deir is a common shorthand for Deir ez-Zor. In the Syriac language of the Assyrian Christian population, Zeʿūrta (ܙܥܘܪܬܐ) means "little"; hence, Dīrā Zeʿūrta means "small habitation". The current name, which has been extended to the surrounding region, indicates an ancient site for one of the Early Christian secluded Syriac monasteries established during the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire and Apostolic Age throughout Mesopotamia. Although Deir (ܕܝܪܐ), which is Arabic (borrowed from Syriac) for "monastery", is believed to have been kept throughout the various Medieval and modern age renamings, Zor, which indicates the riverbank bush, appeared only in some late Ottoman records of the Deir ez-Zor Vilayet.

Many different romanizations are used, including Deir Ezzor, Deir Al-Zor, Deir-al-Zour, Dayr Al-Zawr, Der Ezzor, Deir Azzor, Der Zor, and Deirazzor.

History

Ancient history

Archaeological findings in Deir ez-Zor indicate that the area has been inhabited since the ninth millennium BC. While the region was not densely populated, it was an urban area subordinate kingdoms like the Kingdom of Mari, which rose in the third millennium BC.

During the third millennium BC, the Amorites settled the area and established the kingdom of Yamhad, one of whose urban centers was the city of Deir Ez-Zor (alongside Mayadeen, Qars, and Tarka and its capital of Aleppo). The city was not adversely affected during the succession of major empires (such as the Akkadian Empire, Old Assyrian Empire, Babylonian Empire, Hittite Empire, Middle Assyrian Empire and Neo-Assyrian Empire), as Deir al-Zour was too small to be considered a threat and the region was incorporated into Assyria during the Iron Age.

In the third century BC, Alexander the Great crossed the region and built the city of Dura-Europos. Although influenced by Greek culture, the Semitic Aramaic language remained prevalent in the city. When Syria came under the Roman Empire in 64 BC, Deir Ez-Zor was a small, marginal village known as Azdra, which the Romans made the center of the region and founded a strong military garrison. Deir Ez-Zor came under the reign of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra in the third century, within an autonomous federation of the Roman Empire.

Muslim conquest

After the end of the Ridda wars in the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Bakr sent four armies to the Levant, led by Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Amr ibn al-Aas, and Shurahbil ibn Hasana. Because of the strength and size of the armies of the Byzantine Empire, Abu Bakr ordered Khalid ibn al-Walid to march with half of the Muslim Arab army to the Levant and command the armies there.

Khalid set off with his army towards Sham and opened Bosra and then defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Ajnadayn. After Umar ibn Al-Khattab became caliph in 13 AH (634 AD), Khalid was replaced by Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. Abu Ubaidah was ordered to complete the conquest. He took Damascus, Baalbek, Homs, Hama and Latakia.

After the successive defeats of the Byzantine army, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius requested the help of the Assyrian Christians in Mesopotamia. They mobilized a large army and headed towards Homs, now the base of Abu Ubaidah in northern Syria, which they besieged. Heraclius also sent soldiers from Alexandria. Omar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Saad ibn Abi Waqqas to request support Abu Ubaidah with forces from Iraq, who were then organized under Iyad ibn Ghanm. When the Byzantines who were besieging Homs heard about the army coming from Iraq, they withdrew from Homs. Saad ordered Iyad to invade Upper Mesopotamia, which he conquered in 17 AH, including Deir Ez-Zor.

At the time, Deir Ez-Zor were adherents of Syriac Christianity and Judaism. There was a Christian monastery in Monastery of the Hermits, which became Omari Mosque. Many of the town's indigenous Christians left.

During the Abbasid era, Deir Ez-Zor grew. The agriculture in the region prospered because of advances in irrigation. The small town, now called 'Deir Al-Rumman,' did not record any significant events during the decline of the Abbasid state and the ensuing Mamluk period until its destruction by the Mongols in the thirteenth century.

Ottoman Era

The first Ottoman era extended from the date the Ottomans entered Syria in 1517 until 1864, where the Ottomans found Deir Ez-Zor a small town on the upper Euphrates and chose it as a center for their employees and settled in some of tribal sheikhs to protect the trade route between Aleppo and Baghdad and The tribe members began to visit it to communicate the men of power and buy their needs.

Some Arab and European travellers visited it and described its construction, economy, and the nature of its inhabitants. According to the description, "Its houses are adjacent over an artificial hill, and its inhabitants are strong, polite, and welcome guests. Their crops were wheat, barley, cotton, and corn, along with orchards full of fruit species, including palm trees, lemons, and oranges, the chess game is common among elders".

Deir ez-Zor was repeatedly subjected to Bedouin attacks. With the Ottoman Empire preoccupied with wars and its sultans deemed corrupt, the people armed themselves with guns and organized a militia that resulted in a decline in attacks. However, because they had to rely on themselves the city failed to prosper.

As security improved, commercial convoys started passing through the area, and Deir ez-Zor became a waystation for travelers. Caravanserai were established and the road between Aleppo and Baghdad began to emerge from isolation. Local merchants traveled to Hauran in early spring and returned in the fall. Aleppo, Baghdad, Mardin and Urfa were additional destinations.

In 1831 Ibrahim Pasha took over Deir ez-Zor and annexed it to Hama Sanjak and appointed Maejun Agha governor of the city, Egyptian rule remained until 1840 when the authority of the Ottoman returned to the city, Perhaps the most prominent feature of Ibrahim Pasha's rule is the proliferation of weapons among the city's inhabitants, especially rifles, known as "Brahimiyat," which constituted a major tool to defend the city and repel Bedouin attacks.

On 2 January 1858, the Ottoman government launched a military campaign under the command of Omar Pasha (Croatian) consisting of 500 soldiers to subdue the tribes in the Euphrates region. The campaign reached Deir Ez-Zor city and fought against the city's residents, where 16 Ottoman soldiers were killed. After the Ottoman army subdued the city, Omar Pasha recruited 16 young men from the city to replace the Ottoman soldiers killed.

Armenian genocide

At the beginning of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire began systematic campaigns to kill and displace Armenians. Beginning April 1915, this was carried out through massacres, forced deportations, and displacement, which were marches under harsh conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees. Researchers estimate the number of Armenian victims as between 1 million and 1.5 million.

Deir ez-Zor was the last destination of the forced displacement of Armenian convoys and the scene of killings and slaughter by the Turkish gendarmerie, where the Ottoman authorities planned to exterminate Armenians. These plans failed because the people of Deir ez-Zor regretted what happened to the Armenian men, women, and children, prompting the mayor Haj Fadel Al-Aboud to help protect them and provide them with food, housing, safety and livelihoods.

Despite Armenians coming to the region as part of death marches, the liberation that they achieved ultimately benefited the city, increasing population and growth rates. Historically, the city of Deir ez-Zor has been a special place for Armenians in Syria and the Armenian Diaspora. The Armenian genocide Memorial Church, which was officially built in 1991, includes a museum containing some remains, collectibles and maps for memory of the martyrs who died in that area by the Ottoman Turks. The city later became a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of thousands of Armenians on 24 April each year, after being declared in 2002 by Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Orthodox of Cilicia as a pilgrimage to the Armenians.

Post World War I

Trouble broke out in the city of Deir al-Zour after the Ottomans left on 6 November 1918, where people began looting and stealing from each other across the area, so it was necessary to have a strong authority for protecting the city and its people and that led Al-Hassan who was the mayor to form his first government in the city and asking all tribal leaders in the villages and surrounding districts to support him and pledge allegiance to him. One of the priorities of this government was maintain the security and running the affairs of the city. This government later known as the "Haj Fadel Government".

The government continued until the arrival of Sharif Nasser, the cousin of prince Faisal Bin Al-Hussein, on 1 December 1918, and Mar'i Pasha al-Mallah on 7 December 1918.

On 11 January 1919, the British army occupied the city via the Iraqi border and annexed it to Iraqi territory. The British government took care of the security and cleanliness of the city and set up a primary school that started teaching English. Fadel Al-Aboud remained mayor, During this period, Fadel Al-Aboud and a number of leaders of the Baggara tribe, Agedat and other tribes represented the Euphrates region at the Syrian National Congress held in late June 1919 Which declared on 8 March 1920 the independence of Syria and establishment of Arab Kingdom of Syria and the appointment of Faisal Ibn Al-Sharif Hussein as King.

The people of Deir ez-Zor sought to get rid of British rule and wrote their wish to the Arab government in Damascus, The Iraqi officers of the Iraqi "Al-'Ahd Party" in Damascus wanted to occupy Deir ez-Zor to make it a base to liberate Iraq from the British occupation. So they appointed Ramadan al-Shallash as governor of Raqqa to be a step to liberate Deir ez-Zor, Officer Ramadan al-Shallash came and occupied Deir ez-Zor with the help of her people and "Albu Saraya" clan, and British troops withdrew on 27 December 1919 to the Iraqi border.

On 27 December 1919, Ramadan al-Shallash took over the administration of Deir Ez-Zor as a military ruler, and his authority was nominal and the real ruling was to the city's notables, and they were not satisfied with his actions. Hence, they took him out of the city after two months.

After the Battle of Maysalun on 24 July 1920 and occupation of Damascus by the French forces, the city of Deir ez-Zor was in a state of chaos and insecurity, which prompted Al-Hassan to form his second government, Which has done great services in protecting the city and maintaining the security of its people despite its limited capabilities. This government continued its work until 23 November 1920, when it was dissolved by a decision of the French occupation authorities.

French Mandate

In July 1920, French General Henri Gouraud issued an ultimatum to the government of King Faisal, known as the "Gouraud ultimatum", he set four days to accept it.

Although the Syrian government accepted the ultimatum and accepted the demands of General Gouraud to demobilize the Syrian army and withdraw the soldiers from the mounds of the village of Majdal Anjar in violation of the decision of the Syrian National Congress, on 24 July 1920, French troops began to march on the orders of General Goubeier (By order of General Gouraud) towards Damascus, While the Syrian army stationed on the border was retreating, and when General Gouraud asked about this matter, replied that Faisal's message by accepting the ultimatum had reached him after the deadline.

On 24 July 1920, the Battle of Maysalun ended with the loss of the Syrian army and the death of the Minister of War Yusuf al-'Azma, After its control over the entire Syrian territory, France resorted to the fragmentation of Syria into several independent states or entities:

State of Damascus (1920).

State of Aleppo (1920).

Alawite State (1920).

The State of Greater Lebanon (1920).

Jabal Druze State (1921).

Sanjak of Alexandretta (1921).

The city of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Al-Hasakah were followed to Aleppo.

When the French colonial forces entered Deir Ez-Zor on 9 November 1921, the region was locally ruled by Fadel Al-Aboud, a member of an aristocratic family; after a while, protests and demonstrations against occupation broke out, A group of French armored vehicles and dozens of soldiers encircled the house of Fadel Al-Aboud, where he was arrested and transferred to the military airport of Deir al-Zour and then transported by military aircraft to Aleppo, where he was imprisoned in the castle and during his imprisonment he met with the leader Ibrahim Hanano, In June 1922 he was released and returned to Deir Ez-Zor.

Independence

The city was neglected during the reign of the first Syrian republic and illiteracy was rampant by 95%. However, some achievements belonged to that stage, such as building the suspension bridge and the establishment of the first bank in addition to the palace of justice, the national library, the city museum, and the municipal stadium; during this period, literary and cultural clubs increased, electricity existed, and cafes became widespread.

The city participated vigorously in the sixtieth strike in 1936 and saw a large march on 10 February 1936; this strike led to the signing of the independence agreement between Syria and France and the arrival of the national bloc to power after parliamentary elections held at the end of the year in which three deputies represented the city.

In 1941, the twenty-fifth government was formed in the modern history of Syria and the tenth in the era of the first Syrian Republic. The first after Taj al-Din al-Hassani became president, which gathered the various pillars of politics in Syria, during which the independence of Syria was proclaimed. The federal rule recognized the financial and administrative independence of Lattakia and Sweida. In this government, Mohammad Bey al-Ayesh took over the Ministry of National Economy to be the first minister from Deir ez-Zor and the Eastern Province. After his tenure, it dedicated the tradition of allocating a ministerial seat to a bourgeoisie in Deir Ez-Zor in successive Syrian Governments. And in the same year (1941), British-led forces defeated the Vichy French during the Syria–Lebanon campaign, which included a battle over Deir ez-Zor. They handed administration of the region to the Free French.

The city has maintained its struggle and political role in addition to its civil activity even during the independence phase; in 1946, the wheat uprising against Governor Makram al-Atassi began due to the monopoly of the authority with the good wheat in the city, and the people succeeded in obtaining their rights.

In 1952 cotton cultivation was widespread, and automated pumping engines were introduced, which increased the area of arable land and cotton became the first crop of the city instead of wheat. The discovery of oil and salt during the reign of the second Syrian republic near the city helped to develop and expand urbanization and the increase the number of public and private companies that working in it, as well as increasing migration from the countryside towards it.

Civil war

Deir ez-Zor was one of the first cities that saw large demonstrations at the start of the Syrian civil war. The demonstrations began in the city on 15 March 2011, which was the first day in the movement of protests demanding the overthrow of the Syrian government. On 15 April 2011, a large demonstration was launched from the city's stadium despite the using of live bullets by the security forces and the militias supporting it.

In the demonstrations on Friday, 22 April 2011 (the sixth Friday in the history of the Syrian revolution), the statue of Basil al-Assad was shot down, until then, the Syrian government had been cautious about the protests in Deir ez-Zor, because of their clan nature and the size of their area and the presence of quantities of weapons in it stored from the days of the Iraq war. When the demonstrators headed towards the statue of Basil al-Assad, the riot police fired only in the air. It is said that the demonstrators were not shot and prevented from dropping the statue because the security commanders did not know or appreciate the reaction that the people of the city could issue if one of the demonstrators were killed.

Syrian security forces took complete control of the city in August 2011, but the Free Syrian Army (associated with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces) returned to take control in June 2012.

In recent years, Deir ez-Zor has remained a focal point in counterterrorism operations, with remnants of the Islamic State (IS) conducting insurgent attacks in the region. Its strategic location near the Iraq-Syria border has made it a critical area for both Syrian government forces and international coalitions monitoring extremist movements.

By the beginning of 2014, ISIS announced the annexation of the city after ousting the FSA and a detachment of Syrian Armed Forces remained besieged in a small section of Deir ez-Zor. The Deir ez-Zor district remained one of the few Syrian Government strongholds in eastern Syria for more than two years.

ISIS militants launched an offensive in May 2015, capturing Palmyra and cutting off the remaining supply line to Deir ez-Zor. The city was then effectively under siege by ISIS, leaving supplies to be solely delivered by transport helicopters. ISIS militants attempted to stop the supplies for besieged Syrian soldiers by attacking the Deir ez-Zor Airbase daily. However, their attempts failed due to the presence of the elite Republican Guards of the 104th Airborne Brigade led by Brigadier General Issam Zahreddine.

Economy

The city and its rural surrounding is a fertile and prosperous agriculture area, with livestock-breeding (for awassi sheep), cereals and cotton crops. Many agribusiness institutions work there as well.

Since the discovery of light crude petroleum in the Syrian desert it has become a centre for the country's petroleum extraction industry. It is also a minor centre for tourism with many tourist facilities such as traditional French-style riverbank restaurants, up to 5-star hotels, a hub for trans-desert travel and an airport (IATA code: DEZ) in Al-Jafra suburb. There are salt mines nearby.

Culture

The majority of Deiries (from Deir ez-Zor) are Arab Muslims, with a few Armenian and Assyrian/Syriac families.

Deir ez-Zor was the final concentration place for Deir ez-Zor Camps for annihilating the Armenian deportation caravans. Tens of thousands of surviving men, women and children were systematically killed on the banks of the Euphrates River. The Armenian genocide Memorial Church commemorated the memory of Genocide victims who lost their lives, but it was destroyed on 21 September 2014 by ISIS.

Successive waves of new settlers from surrounding countrysides and provinces were heavily related to severe drought in late 1950s and 1990s most of them looking for standard jobs and giving up their farming and herding lifestyle. The Mesopotamian variety of Arabic is used in the city; a slight influence of the Aleppo dialect can be noticed as well. Dominated by Sunni Muslims, Christianity in Deir ez-Zor can be traced back to the Apostolic Age, with few active churches and chapels belong to different congregations.

The city was also famous for the Deir ez-Zor suspension bridge (Arabic: الجسر المعلق) which spanned the Euphrates and was destroyed in 2013 during the civil war.

The Deir ez-Zor Museum keeps thousands of antiquities collected from nearby archaeological sites in Northern Mesopotamia.

Main campuses of Al-Furat University and Aljazeera University are also located there. Many other polytechnic schools and professional institutes provide tertiary education are based in the city as well.

The local daily newspaper Al Furat and few other publications are published there and circulated in neighbouring Al-Hasakah and Raqqa governorates.

International relations

As of 2010, Deir ez-Zor is home to the third Armenian diplomatic mission in Syria; the Honorary Consulate of Armenia, opened on 11 February 2010.

Deir ez-Zor International Airport is a domestic and international terminal and important hub mostly connecting with Damascus and destinations in the Persian Gulf region.

Twin cities

Armavir, Armenia, since October 2010.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it as hot desert (BWh).

Notable people

Riad Darar, human rights activist

Mazen al-Hamada, Syrian activist