Al Qamishli القامشلي
Al Qamishli Location in Syria
Coordinates: 37°03′N 41°13′E / 37.05°N 41.217°E / 37.05; 41.217
Country	Syria
Governorate	Al Hasakah
District	Al Qamishli
Population (2004)Census
- Total	232,258
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	53

Qamishli (Arabic: القامشلي‎ Al Qāmišlī, Kurdish: Qamişlo, Syriac: ܩܡܫܠܐ Qamishlo or Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝܢ Beth-Zalin) is a city in north eastern Syria on the border with Turkey, adjoining the Turkish city of Nusaybin, and close to Iraq. It is part of the Al-Hasakah Governorate, and is the administrative capital of the Al Qamishli District within the governorate.

Demographics

As of the 2004 Census, the city's population was 232,258.

Al Qamishli, originally, an Assyrian/Syriac city, in modern times, is of mixed ethnic groups, predominantly Kurdish, Arabs and Assyrians/Syriacs. The Christians of the city mainly consist of Assyrians/Syriacs and Armenians. The city was founded by Assyrians/Syriacs fleeing Seyfo in modern Turkey. Today Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians/Syriacs, and Armenians (about 8,500 form which 2,000 are Armenian Catholics) live side by side in the city.

Al Qamishli was also home to a significant Jewish community. In the 1930s the Jewish population of Al Qamishli numbered 3,000. Since 1947, the situation of the Jews of Al Qamishli deteriorated. All Jews employed in government offices were sacked. Many Jewish women were imprisoned and beaten with the approval of the authorities. Massive immigration of Jews from Syria peaked due to violence, such as Aleppo pogrom. By 1963, the community had dwindled to 800 persons, and after the Six-Day War it went down further to 150.

History

Qamishli is situated at the base of the Taurus Mountains, located near the area of ancient Hurrian city of Urkesh which was founded during the fourth millennium BC.

The modern city was founded in 1926 as a railway station on the Taurus railway.

Qamishli is the largest town in Hassake province and it is regarded as the secret capital of the Kurds, the Assyrians/Syriacs also claim it to be their community capital. It is also the centre of the Syrian Kurdish problem.

In March 2004, during a chaotic soccer match, a riot started when some people started raising separatist Kurdish flags, hailing Barzani and Talabani and US President George W. Bush, turning the match into political conflict. The riot expanded out of the stadium and weapons were used against police and civilians of non-Kurdish background. In the aftermath, at least 30 Kurds were killed as the security services re-took the city. The event became known as "Qamishli massacre".

In June 2005, thousands of Kurds demonstrated in Qamishli to protest the assassination of Sheikh Khaznawi, a Kurdish cleric in Syria, resulting in the death of one policeman and injury to four Kurds. In March 2008, according to Human Rights Watch, Syrian security forces opened fire at Kurds celebrating spring festival of Newroz and gathering for reviving the 2004 riot in Qamishli. The shooting left three people dead.

The city is renowned for throwing a large Christmas parade every year in December, and celebrating Newroz festival by a large crowd every year in March.

Climate

Petroleum

Al Qamishli has recently experienced an economic boom due to the exploration of petroleum in the Qarah Shuk region 80 km east of Al Qamishli.

Transportation

It has an international airport, Kamishly Airport, with IATA code KAC.

Chemins de Fer Syriens (the Syrian railroad company) operates a freight and passenger railway service to other parts of Syria

See also

• Kurds in Syria
• Assyrians and Syriacs in Syria

Notes

Coordinates: 37°03′N 41°13′E / 37.05°N 41.217°E / 37.05; 41.217