Bloudan

{{Short description|Village in Syria}} {{Infobox settlement   |official_name = Bloudan |other_name = |native_name = بلودان |native_name_lang = ar  |nickname = |settlement_type = Village |motto =  |image_skyline = Bloudan Jerjanieh.jpg |imagesize = 220 |image_caption = Bloudan is located 51 kilometers north-west of Damascus |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |image_dot_map = |dot_mapsize = |dot_map_caption = |dot_x = |dot_y = |pushpin_map = Syria  |pushpin_label_position = right |pushpin_mapsize =250 |pushpin_map_caption =Location in Syria |pushpin_relief = 1  |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syria |subdivision_type1 = Governorate |subdivision_name1 = Rif Dimashq Governorate |subdivision_type2 = District |subdivision_name2 = Al-Zabadani District |subdivision_type3 = Nahiyah |subdivision_name3 = Al-Zabadani |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 =  |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 =  |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title =  |established_date = |established_title2 =  |established_date2 = |established_title3 =  |established_date3 =  |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =Metric  |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 =  |area_land_km2 =  |area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_blank1_title = |area_blank1_km2 = |area_blank1_sq_mi =  |population_as_of = 2004 |population_footnotes = <ref name="CBS"/> |population_note = |population_total = 3,101 |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title =Ethnicities |population_blank1 = |population_blank2_title =Religions |population_blank2 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi =  |timezone = EET |utc_offset = +3 |timezone_DST = EEST |utc_offset_DST = +2 |coordinates = {{coord|33|44|N|36|08|E|region:SY|display=inline}} |elevation_footnotes =  |elevation_m = 1500 |elevation_ft =  |postal_code_type =  |postal_code = |area_code = 13 |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Bloudan''' ({{langx|ar|بلودان|Blūdān}}) is a Syrian village located 51 kilometers north-west of Damascus, in the Rif Dimashq Governorate; it has an altitude of about 1500 meters. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics it had a population of 3,101.<ref name="CBS">[https://archive.today/20130113012020/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB03-26-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004]. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. {{in lang|ar}}</ref> The majority of the inhabitants are Greek Orthodox Christian, and a significant minority are Sunni Muslim and Protestant.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Middle East Intelligence Handbooks: 1943-1946|date=1987|publisher=Naval Intelligence Division of Great Britain|page=234|isbn=9781852070601|edition=Archive|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXG6AAAAIAAJ&q=Bludan+Greek+Orthodox}}</ref>

Bloudan is situated on top of a hill that overlooks the Al-Zabadani plain and is surrounded by mountain forests. Its moderate temperature and low humidity in summer attracts visitors from Damascus and throughout Syria; as a tourist destination, it is visited by thousands every year, mainly Arabs from Lebanon and the Arab States of the Arabic Gulf. In winter, Bloudan is usually snowy and draws skiers.<ref name="SKI">[http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/05/04/grateful-but-grieving-syrian-refugee-family-grapples-uprooting/99227598/ Grateful but grieving: Syrian refugee family grapples with uprooting]. Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved on 2018-01-23.</ref> Bloudan has restaurants and hotels, including the Great Bloudan Hotel.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

==Etymology== The current name, Bloudan, is derived from the Aramaic name ''Bil-dan'', which means the place of the god ''Bil'' or ''Ba'al''. Bloudan is also called the land of almond, because its forests are dominated by almond trees.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

J. E. Hanauer suggested that the name "Bloudan" may be related to the Greco-Roman deity Pluto, because Arabic-speakers typically do not use the letter 'p'. However, he also speculated that "Bludan" might come from the plural of "Blota" in the Maaloula dialect, which means <nowiki>''district'</nowiki>.<ref name=":0" />

==History== [[File:Ifpo 21365 Syrie, gouvernorat de Rif Dimachq, Bloudan et Zabadani, vue aérienne oblique (cropped).jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Bloudan and Al-Zabadani in 1933.]] Bloudan is a very ancient village whose history goes back to the Roman era, as is evident by the paintings and carvings found in southern Bloudan. Remains of an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery and the St. George church are also found in the mountains of eastern Bloudan. The St. Elias valley is an ancient part of the village.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

In 1838, Eli Smith noted that Bloudan's population was Antiochian Greek Christians and Sunni Muslims.<ref>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p.[https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/146/mode/1up 146]</ref>

In 1909, J. E. Hanauer shared observations and stories from a visit in Bludan, noting the local customs, linguistic peculiarities, and the impact of religious and cultural traditions on the daily life and landscape. He recounted discovering a Byzantine convent's ruins near Bludan, called "Deir Mar Jirius", believed to have been destroyed in the thirteenth century AD, and shared a local legend about the sanctuary of "El 'Areija Om Esh-Sharif", or "the Little Lame Mother of Potsherds", where women break new jars as part of a vow fulfillment, a practice he speculated might stem from ancient fertility worship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Hanauer |first=J. E. |date=1909 |title=Notes from Damascus and the Anti-Libanus |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/peq.1909.41.2.119 |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |language=en |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=119–138 |doi=10.1179/peq.1909.41.2.119 |issn=0031-0328|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Modern Bloudan, constructed of rendered concrete, has largely replaced the Greek Orthodox village built in the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref>''Syria & Lebanon'' (Footprint Travel Guide) 2001:135.</ref>

== Culture == In 1909, Hanauer documented his visit to "El 'Areija Om Esh-Sharif", or "the Little Lame Mother of Potsherds", a maqam (sanctuary) located on a steep hillside about a mile south of Bloudan. The site, featuring a stone-terraced area with partially buried stone circle, is named after the scattered shards of new jars found there, under the shade of ancient oaks. Hanauer noted that the site serves as a place of worship where both Christian and Muslim women from surrounding villages break new jars to fulfill vows, as offerings of old jars are not accepted. He documented a tale of a jar that purportedly followed a woman home for not breaking it. Furthermore, Hanauer mentioned annual spring religious processions that include this site and suggested that the jar-breaking ritual could stem from ancient fertility worship practices, possibly honoring deities such as Mylitta or Astarte, with the shattered jars symbolizing related sacrifices. <ref name=":0" />

==Climate== Bloudan has a relatively cool-summer Mediterranean type of climate. Being about 1000 metres higher than the city centre of Damascus means that Bloudan and other settlements in its vicinity are sought after by those who want to escape the arid and hot climate of the capital city. Summers in Bloudan are long, dry, and cool while the winter season is three months long with heavy rain and snow.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

{{Weather box |width = auto |location = Bloudan |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes

|source = climate-data.org<ref>{{cite web |website=Climate-Data.ORG | title = Climate: Bloudan | url = https://en.climate-data.org/asia/syria/rif-dimashq/bludan-428984/ | access-date = 17 October 2018}}</ref> }}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=3}} {{refend}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20050310134226/http://www.syriantours.net/Arch_Details.asp?AcrID=209 Information], Syrian Tours. Retrieved on 1 December 2006. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070101043543/http://www.syriaatlas.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17 بلودان], Syria Atlas. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.

Category:Populated places in al-Zabadani District Category:Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Syria Category:Ski areas and resorts in Syria

Bloudan

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