Maskanah

{{about|the town in Aleppo Governorate in Syria|the village in Homs Governorate|Maskanah, Homs Governorate}} {{Infobox settlement | official_name = Maskanah | native_name = مسكنة | image_skyline = | imagesize = | image_caption = | pushpin_map = Syria | pushpin_mapsize = 250 | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Syria}} | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = Aleppo | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Manbij | subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict | subdivision_name3 = Maskanah | settlement_type = Town | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | 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 = | population_as_of = 2004 census | population_note = | population_total = 15477 | population_footnotes = <ref name="CBS"/> | timezone = AST | utc_offset = +3 | coordinates = {{coord|35.963158|N|38.035566|E|region:SY|display=inline,title}} | elevation_footnotes =  | elevation_m = | postal_code_type =  | postal_code = | area_code = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Maskanah''' ({{langx|ar|مَسْكَنَة}}), also spelled '''Meskene''', is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Manbij District of the Aleppo Governorate. The town is located {{convert|100|km}} southeast of Aleppo on the Lake Assad part of the Euphrates. Nearby localities include Dayr Hafir, Humaymah Kabirah and Tell Ayoub to the northwest and Tabqa to the southeast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Maskanah had a population of 15,477 in the 2004 census.<ref name="CBS">[https://archive.today/20130113063315/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-31-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004]. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. {{in lang|ar}}</ref>

==History== The Bronze Age city of Emar lies a few kilometres north of the present town.<ref name="brill">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2012 |title=Maskana |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition |publisher=Brill Online |url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/maskana-SIM_5017 |access-date=29 December 2012 |last=Elisséeff |first=N.}}</ref>

In 1210, during Ayyubid rule, the al-Adil Minaret was constructed. The brick structure was built in the simple, Persian architectural style. It was further developed during the Mamluk period. It was restored during Hafez al-Assad's rule (1970–2000) and is one last historic architectural remains in the town.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071225031906/http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=7508 Al-'Adil Minaret]. Archnet Digital Library.</ref>

During Ottoman rule, the area was mostly inhabited by nomadic Bedouin tribes.<ref name="brill"/> In 1838, Maskanah was classified as a ruined village ("''khirba''") by Biblical scholar Eli Smith.<ref>Smith, 1841, p. 174.</ref> In 1915 the town was visited by orientalist Alois Musil who mentions the town having barracks, a large ''khan'', and the residence of the head of the telegraph service.<ref name="brill"/> A year later, Maskanah became a major deportation route during the Armenian genocide where an estimated 80,000 Armenians died.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kévorkian|first1=Raymond H.|title=The Armenian genocide : a complete history|date=2010|publisher=I. B. Tauris|location=London|isbn=978-1848855618|page=656|edition=Reprinted.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JY4RifQksFMC}}</ref>

Under the French mandate, the town was the center of a ''qadaa'', and served as a center for milk production and cattle merchants. In 1945 the village had 430 inhabitants.<ref name="brill"/> [[File:Maskanah nahiyah.svg|thumb|230px|right|''Maskanah'' is the administrative center of Nahiya Maskanah of the Manbij District.]]

On 3 June 2017, the city was captured by the Syrian Army from the Islamic State.<ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian Army liberates Maskanah, ISIL expelled from Aleppo|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-syrian-army-liberates-maskanah-isil-expelled-aleppo/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603222904/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-syrian-army-liberates-maskanah-isil-expelled-aleppo/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2017|agency=Al-Masdar|date=3 June 2017}}</ref> The SDF took control of the town on 1 December 2024 following the withdrawal of the Syrian Army. They later withdrew east of the Euphrates on 17 January 2026 under pressure from advancing Syrian transitional government forces during the northeastern Syria offensive.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. warns Syrian attack against SDF could escalate into wider conflict |url=https://npasyria.com/en/134689/ |publisher=North Press Agency |date=17 January 2026 }}</ref>

==References== ===Notes=== {{reflist}}

===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} *{{Cite book | first1 = Eli | last1 = Smith | first2 = Edward | last2 = Robinson | title = Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the Year 1838 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Vt0uAAAAQAAJ&q=d'Helfaya | publisher = Crocker and Brewster | volume = 3 | year = 1841}} {{refend}}

Category:Populated places in Manbij District Category:Towns in Aleppo Governorate