{{Short description|City in northeastern Syria}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Qamishli | native_name = {{lang|ar|القامشلي}} | native_name_lang = ar | other_name = Qamishlo | type = City | image_skyline = | pushpin_map = Syria | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mapsize = 250 | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Qamishli in Syria | coordinates = {{coord|37|03|17|N|41|13|41|E|type:city(184,000)_region:SY-HA|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flag|Syria}} | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = Al-Hasakah | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Qamishli | subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict | subdivision_name3 = Qamishli | established_title = Established | established_date = {{start date|1926}} | elevation_m = 455 | government_type = Syrian transitional government and DAANES | population_total = 184231 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_as_of = 2004 | population_footnotes = {{#tag:ref|{{cite web |title=2004 Census Data for ''Nahiya Qamishli''|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB08-8-2004.htm |publisher=Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics |language=ar }} Also available in English: {{cite web |author=UN OCHA |author-link=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |title=2004 Census Data |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/syrian-arab-republic-other-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 |publisher=Humanitarian Data Exchange }}|name=census2004}} | timezone = EET | utc_offset = +2 | timezone_DST = EEST | utc_offset_DST = +3 | area_code_type = Area code | area_code = {{color|dimgray|+963}} 52 | geocode = C4564 | website = }} '''Qamishli'''{{refn|Also known as Al-Qamishli, Kamishli, Kamishly, Qamishlo or Zalin ({{langx|ar|ٱلْقَامِشْلِي|Al-Qāmišlī}};<ref>{{cite news |last1=|first1=|title=سوريا: قتلى وجرحى في ثلاثة انفجارات تهز مدينة القامشلي |url=https://dw.com/ar/سوريا-قتلى-وجرحى-في-ثلاثة-انفجارات-تهز-مدينة-القامشلي/a-51204668 |access-date=24 December 2019 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |language=ar}}</ref> {{langx|ku|قامیشلۆ|Qamişlo}};<ref>{{cite web |title=قامیشلۆ.. ساڵیادی شەهیدبوونی کەمال دەروێش و شێخموس یووسف بەرز ڕاگیرا |url=https://www.welattv.net/tr/node/6829 |publisher=Welat TV |language=ku |date=2024-11-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Şaredariya Qamişlo bajar paqij dike |url=http://ronahi.net/ku/index.php/2018/06/14/saredariya-qamislo-bajar-paqij-dike/ |access-date=24 December 2019 |language=ku |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927193108/https://ronahi.net/ku/index.php/2018/06/14/saredariya-qamislo-bajar-paqij-dike/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=بەکاتی قامشلۆ |url=https://www.rudaw.net/sorani/onair/tv/programs/program/bekati_qamishlo |date=2019-12-10 |access-date=24 December 2019 |website=Rûdaw |language=ku}}</ref> {{langx|syr|ܩܡܫܠܝ}} or {{langx|syr|ܩܡܫܠܐ|translit=Qamishlo}} ; {{langx|syc|ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ|Bēṯ Zālīn|lit=House of Reeds}}<ref name="syriaca.org">{{Cite web | title=Qamishli | url=http://syriaca.org/place/160 | access-date=2025-08-24 | website=syriaca.org}}</ref>)|group=nb}} is a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria–Turkey border, adjoining the city of Nusaybin in Turkey. The Jaghjagh River flows through the city. With a 2004 census population of 184,231,<ref name=census2004 /> it is the ninth most-populous city in Syria and the second-largest in Al-Hasakah Governorate after Al-Hasakah. Qamishli has traditionally been a Christian Assyrian majority city,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/qamishli-qamishlo-trip-rojavas-new-capital |title=From Qamishli to Qamishlo: A Trip to Rojava's New Capital}}</ref> but is now predominantly populated by Kurds with large numbers of Arabs and Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians. It is {{convert|680|km|mi}} northeast of Damascus.<ref name=Zurutuza>Zurutuza, Carlos. "[http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/syria-first-kurdish-language-newspaper-20131013124859345177.html Syria's first Kurdish-language newspaper]" ([https://archive.today/20131022075231/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/syria-first-kurdish-language-newspaper-20131013124859345177.html Archive]). Al Jazeera. 18 October 2013. Retrieved on 22 October 2013.</ref>
The city is the administrative capital of the Qamishli District in Al-Hasakah Governorate, and the administrative center of Qamishli Subdistrict, consisting of 92 localities with a combined population of 232,095 in 2004. Qamishli was the ''de facto'' capital of the DAANES,<ref name="New York Times">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html/ |title=A Dream of Secular Utopia in ISIS' Backyard |work=The New York Times |date=2015-11-29|access-date=2016-05-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Radpey |first=Loqman |date=September 2016|title=Kurdish Regional Self-rule Administration in Syria: A new Model of Statehood and its Status in International Law Compared to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq |journal=Japanese Journal of Political Science |language=en |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=468–488 |doi=10.1017/S1468109916000190 |issn=1468-1099 |doi-access=free}}</ref> until it was moved to Ayn Issa.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-12-05 |title=Ain Issa: from an obscure town to SDF headquarters |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2019/12/ain-issa-from-an-obscure-town-to-sdf-headquarters/ |access-date=2020-12-18 |website=Enab Baladi |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Etymology== The city was initially a small village inhabited by Assyrians called {{lang|syr|ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ}} (''Bēṯ Zālīn'') meaning "House of Reeds".<ref name="syriaca.org"/> The modern name is the Turkish calque of this name. ''Kamış'' means "reed" and ''-lı'' suffix denotes "place with" in Turkish.
==History== The city was established in the 1920s by Assyrians escaping the Assyrian genocide who fled from northwestern Iran and southern Turkey. They built a small town under the French Mandate which they initially called Bet-Zalin. In 1926, it was renamed Qamishli and served as a station on the Taurus railway.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/al-Qamishli|title=Al-Qāmishlī {{!}} Syria|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref> One of the funders of the early development of the city was Masoud Asfar, an Assyrian who survived the Massacres of Diyarbakır (1895) as a young child. Masoud, along with stepbrother, whose last name was Najjar, established the Asfar & Najjar Corporation, a company that produced wheat in Qamishli. Throughout the 1920s–1940s, the Asfar & Najjar Corporation funded hospitals, Assyrian schools, and churches throughout the city. At the same time, many Armenians and Assyrians, fleeing persecution in Iraq and Turkey, moved into the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/from-qamishli-to-qamishlo-a-trip-to-rojavas-new-capital|title = From Qamishli to Qamishlo: A Trip to Rojava's New Capital}}</ref> This was followed by the emigration of Kurds from Turkey, most of whom settled in the countryside and then began to move to the city. However, in the 1960s and until the late 1970s, when Assyrians still constituted two-thirds of the city's population, the government of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region actively confiscated Assyrian farms, lands, and areas, causing an Assyrian exodus. thumb|Qamishli in 1964 Qamishli is considered a center for both the Kurdish and the Assyrian ethnic groups in Syria. It was heavily settled by refugees from the Assyrian genocide. Assyrians were the majority in the city until the 1970s, when Kurds from the surrounding countryside moved into the city in numbers. Qamishli is renowned for its large Christmas parade, and Newroz and Kha b-Nisan festivals.
===21st century=== thumb|left|The President's street
In March 2004, during a chaotic soccer match, the Qamishli riots began when visiting Arab fans from Deir ez-Zor started praising Saddam Hussein to taunt the Kurdish home fans. The riot expanded out of the stadium and weapons were used against people of Kurdish background. In the aftermath, at least 30 Kurds were killed as the Syrian security services took over the city.<ref>{{cite news |author=James Brandon |title=The PKK and Syria's Kurds |url=http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370250 |work=Terrorism Monitor |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |location=Washington, DC |page=Volume 5, Issue 3 |date=February 15, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107082810/http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370250 |archive-date=November 7, 2007}}</ref>
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 Kurdish civilians.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-06-15-syria-kurds_x.htm |work=USA Today |title=A murder stirs Kurds in Syria |first=Nicholas |last=Blanford |date=June 15, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/02/international/middleeast/02kurds.html |work=The New York Times |title=Kurds, Emboldened by Lebanon, Rise Up in Tense Syria |first=Hassan M. |last=Fattah |date=July 2, 2005}}</ref>
In March 2008, according to Human Rights Watch,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/03/23/syria-investigate-killing-kurds|title=Syria: Investigate Killing of Kurds|work=Human Rights Watch|date=23 March 2008|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> three more Kurds were killed when Syrian security forces opened fire on people celebrating the spring festival of Newroz.
===Syrian Civil War and after the conflict=== {{main|Syrian civil war|2015 Qamishli bombings|Battle of Qamishli (2016)|July 2016 Qamishli bombings|Qamishli clashes (2018)|Siege of Qamishli and Al-Hasakah|Battle of Qamishli (2021)}}
thumb|2015 division of the city With the civil war and the Rojava conflict from 2011, the city grew into a major political role, being the de facto capital of the DAANES. Part of the city, as well as an area to the south which includes Qamishli Airport, remained under the administration of the Syrian government until the rebel offensive in December 2024. Unlike many Syrian cities, Qamishli has not seen large-scale fighting during the war, although it has been attacked by unknown perpetrators in 2015 and by Islamic State in 2016, as well as brief skirmishes between DAANES and Syrian forces in 2016 and 2018. Qamishli is home to Chirkin prison, which houses detained Islamic State militants.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-turkey-prison/turkey-shelled-prison-holding-is-foreign-fighters-kurdish-led-administration-idUSKBN1WP15C |first=Tom |last=Perry |editor-first=Raissa |editor-last=Kasolowsky |publisher=Reuters |title=Turkey shelled prison holding IS foreign fighters Kurdish-led administration |date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
On 17 August 2020, Syrian forces reportedly clashed with US troops near Qamishli, which resulted in the death of one Syrian. Two other Syrian soldiers were said to have been injured during the clash, state media added.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syria-war-deadly-clash-between-us-and-syrian-forces-qamishli-checkpoint-airstrike-today-2020-08-17/ |title= Deadly clash reported between U.S. and Syrian forces. |website= CBS News |date= 17 August 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-us-helicopter-attacks-syrian-army-checkpoint-72415218 |title= Syria says U.S. forces clash with Syrian troops, killing 1. |website= ABC News }}</ref>
In 2022, the Syrian government remained in control of a large part of the city centre as well as a substantial rural area to the south, including the airport, the border crossing, various government buildings, and many residential neighbourhoods. The government still organised the production and the distribution of the harvest in the southern countryside, and organised flights between Qamishli and other Syrian cities, as well as Beirut. However, most of the city was under the administration of the DAANES.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/syrian-kurds-risk-lives-cross-turkey-33769556|title='We have nothing': Syrian Kurds risk their lives crossing into Turkey|work=Middle East Eye|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>
The city came fully under Kurdish forces control in December 2024, when Ba'athist Syrian forces handed over control with little fighting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Landmark SDF deal hailed as positive step for Syria and Kurds |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/landmark-sdf-deal-hailed-positive-step-syria-kurds |quote= After Bashar al-Assad was toppled in late December, Kurds took control of Qamishli International Airport, but were not able to operate it. |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref>
Following the 2026 northeastern Syria offensive, the Syrian transitional government forces entered the city on 3 February as part of a ceasefire agreement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-government-forces-deploy-towards-kurdish-run-city-after-ceasefire-deal-2026-02-02/ |title=Syrian state forces deploy in Kurdish-run city under ceasefire deal |publisher=Reuters |date=2 February 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fallaha |first1=Ahmad |last2=Homsi |first2=Nada |title=Syrian forces begin deployment to Hasakah, Kobani and Qamishli cities under deal to integrate SDF-held areas |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/02/02/syrian-forces-posted-to-kobani-hasakah-and-qamishli-under-deal-to-integrate-sdf-held-areas/ |work=The National |date=2026-02-02 |access-date=2026-02-03 |location=Sareen, Syria}}</ref><ref> {{cite web |last=Al Jazeera Staff |title=Syrian forces enter Qamishli under ceasefire deal with SDF: State media |url=https://www.aljazeera.com |website=Al Jazeera |date=2026-02-03 |access-date=2026-02-03}}</ref>
On 4 March 2026, a stray Iranian ballistic missile originally headed for Turkey impacted a field in Qamishli, and failed to explode.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video People gather around unexploded missile intercepted by NATO over Syria |url=https://abcnews.com/video/130775398/ |access-date=2026-03-05 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>
==Climate== The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Csa" (Mediterranean climate; dry-summer subtropical climate). The summers tend to be dry and warm, with July being the hottest month of the year, while the winters are usually cold and wet, with January being the coldest month and having an average of 11 days of rain. In total, around 53 days of rain occur every year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=592625&cityname=Qamishli%2C+Al-Hasakah%2C+Syria&units=|title=Qamishli, Syria Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|work=Weatherbase|access-date=24 April 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084950/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=592625&cityname=Qamishli%2C%20Al-Hasakah%2C%20Syria&units=|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Weather box |location = Qamishli (1991–2020, extremes 1952–present) |metric first = Y |single line = Y |Jan record high C = 23.6 |Feb record high C = 24.5 |Mar record high C = 32.0 |Apr record high C = 37.4 |May record high C = 41.0 |Jun record high C = 46.0 |Jul record high C = 48.5 |Aug record high C = 47.3 |Sep record high C = 45.0 |Oct record high C = 38.6 |Nov record high C = 29.8 |Dec record high C = 27.4 |year record high C = 48.5 |Jan high C = 11.3 |Feb high C = 13.1 |Mar high C = 17.4 |Apr high C = 22.9 |May high C = 30.0 |Jun high C = 37.0 |Jul high C = 40.6 |Aug high C = 40.2 |Sep high C = 35.3 |Oct high C = 28.4 |Nov high C = 19.6 |Dec high C = 13.2 |year high C = 25.7 |Jan low C = 3.3 |Feb low C = 4.1 |Mar low C = 7.1 |Apr low C = 10.9 |May low C = 15.9 |Jun low C = 21.3 |Jul low C = 24.5 |Aug low C = 24.1 |Sep low C = 20.1 |Oct low C = 15.8 |Nov low C = 9.1 |Dec low C = 5.0 |year low C = 13.4 |Jan record low C = -11.3 |Feb record low C = -9.5 |Mar record low C = -6.7 |Apr record low C = -2.9 |May record low C = 4.6 |Jun record low C = 10.0 |Jul record low C = 15.3 |Aug record low C = 15.8 |Sep record low C = 9.8 |Oct record low C = 1.2 |Nov record low C = -3.0 |Dec record low C = -6.7 |year record low C = -11.3 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 66.0 |Feb precipitation mm = 59.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 55.2 |Apr precipitation mm = 46.7 |May precipitation mm = 22.4 |Jun precipitation mm = 2.5 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.6 |Aug precipitation mm = 0.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 1.3 |Oct precipitation mm = 18.8 |Nov precipitation mm = 36.8 |Dec precipitation mm = 59.9 |year precipitation mm = 361.1 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 8.3 |Feb precipitation days = 7.8 |Mar precipitation days = 7.7 |Apr precipitation days = 6.4 |May precipitation days = 3.8 |Jun precipitation days = 0.4 |Jul precipitation days = 0.1 |Aug precipitation days = 0.1 |Sep precipitation days = 0.4 |Oct precipitation days = 2.9 |Nov precipitation days = 4.0 |Dec precipitation days = 6.8 |year precipitation days = 48.0 |Jan humidity = 71 |Feb humidity = 68 |Mar humidity = 64 |Apr humidity = 60 |May humidity = 47 |Jun humidity = 29 |Jul humidity = 24 |Aug humidity = 24 |Sep humidity = 27 |Oct humidity = 39 |Nov humidity = 57 |Dec humidity = 70 |year humidity = 48 |Jan sun = 148.8 |Feb sun = 154.0 |Mar sun = 204.6 |Apr sun = 222.0 |May sun = 288.3 |Jun sun = 339.0 |Jul sun = 356.5 |Aug sun = 350.3 |Sep sun = 312.0 |Oct sun = 254.2 |Nov sun = 192.0 |Dec sun = 148.8 |year sun = 2970.5 |Jand sun = 4.8 |Febd sun = 5.5 |Mard sun = 6.6 |Aprd sun = 7.4 |Mayd sun = 9.3 |Jund sun = 11.3 |Juld sun = 11.5 |Augd sun = 11.3 |Sepd sun = 10.4 |Octd sun = 8.2 |Novd sun = 6.4 |Decd sun = 4.8 |yeard sun = 8.1 |source 1 = NOAA (sun 1961–1990)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230902192938/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Syria/CSV/KAMISHLI_40001.csv | archive-date = 2 September 2023 | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Syria/CSV/KAMISHLI_40001.csv | title = Kamishli Climate Normals 1991–2020 | work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 2 September 2023}}</ref><ref name = NOAA> {{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/SY/40001.TXT |title=Kamishli Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010102552/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/SY/40001.TXT |archive-date=2017-10-10 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 26, 2017}}</ref> |source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1974–1978),<ref name = DWD>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_400010_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Kamishly / Syrien |work=Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=April 26, 2017}}</ref> Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimat>{{cite web |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1129 |title=Station Kamishli |publisher=Meteo Climat |language=fr |access-date=April 26, 2017}}</ref> }}
==Demographics== thumb|left|Miami Street in Al-Wusta neighborhood during Christmas.
{{Historical populations |type = |1981|92990 |1994|144286 |2004|184231 | }}
In 1939, French mandate authorities reported the following population numbers for different ethnic/religious groups in Qamishli city centre.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Altug|first=S|date=2011|title=Sectarianism in the Syrian Jazira: community, land and violence in the memories of World War I and the French mandate (1915- 1939)|url=https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/205821|journal=Utrecht University Repository|hdl=1874/205821}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" !Arabs !Kurds !Assyrians !Armenians |- |7990 |5892 |14,140 |3500 |}
Qamishli is an ethnically mixed city. Kurds make up a majority of the city's population,<ref>''The Kurds of Northern Syria: Governance, Diversity and Conflicts'', pg. 15</ref> which also has many Arabs, Assyrians,{{refn|See also the article Terms for Syriac Christians}} and Armenians.<ref>{{in lang|hy}} [http://www.hayernaysor.am/news.php?p=11&c=g&t=0&r=0&year=2009&month=07&day=28&shownews=2479&LangID=4#2479 Ծննդավայրս՝ Գամիշլի կամ Եղէգնուտ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301165218/http://www.hayernaysor.am/news.php?p=11&c=g&t=0&r=0&year=2009&month=07&day=28&shownews=2479&LangID=4#2479 |date=2012-03-01 }}</ref>
==Religion== ===Muslims=== More than 80% of Qamishli's inhabitants are Sunni Muslims. They are mainly Kurds, followed by Arabs.
===Christians=== The city is considered to be a Christian center in Syria, and was a Christian-majority city for much of its history.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/485435/Al-Qamishli|title=al-Qamishli – Syria|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>
In the 1930s it is estimated that out of the town's population of 23,000 individuals, 20,000 of those were Christians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joseph |first=John |title=Muslim-Christian Relations and Inter-Christian Rivalries in the Middle East The Case of the Jacobites in an Age of Transition |page=108}}</ref>
Before the civil war, the Christian population of Qamishli was about 40,000, of whom 25,000 belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church, the biggest church in the city. As of 2014 it was believed that half of all Christians had left the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/islamischer-staat-die-kirche-der-jungfrau-in-qamischli-13282271.html |title=Islamischer Staat: Die Kirche der Jungfrau in Qamischli|author=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH|date=24 November 2014|work=FAZ.NET|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>
Once a Christian-majority city, the rural migration to Qamishli has increased the Kurdish population of the city. In addition, since the PYD militia took control of the city in 2012 they carried out a Kurdification process touching all aspects of life, starting by changing the name of the city to Qamishlo, to cultural and social aspects of the city. The Christian and Arab population in the city were fiercely opposed to the PYD rule. Half the Christian population left by 2017 although no fighting happened in the city.<ref name=Balanche>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/from-qamishli-to-qamishlo-a-trip-to-rojavas-new-capital |title=From Qamishli to Qamishlo: A Trip to Rojava's New Capital|last=Balanche|first=Fabrice|date=13 April 2017|work=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|access-date=9 December 2020|author-link=Fabrice Balanche}}</ref>
===Churches in the city=== * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Jacob of Nisibis (كنيسة القديس مار يعقوب النصيبيني للسريان الأرثوذكس) * Syriac Orthodox Church of Our Lady (كنيسة السيده العذراء للسريان الأرثوذكس) * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Ephrem the Syrian (كنيسة مار افرام السرياني للسريان الأرثوذكس) * Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Quriaqos (كنيسة مار قرياقوس للسريان الأرثوذكس) * Syriac Catholic Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (كنيسة القديسين مار بطرس وبولس للسريان الكاثوليك) * Assyrian Church of Saint George (كنيسة مار جرجس للآشوريين) * Assyrian Church of Saint Ephrem (كنيسة مار أفرام للآشوريين) * Chaldean Catholic Church of Saint Jacob of Nisibis (كنيسة القديس مار يعقوب النصيبيني للكلدان الكاثوليك) * Armenian Orthodox Church of Saint Hagop (كنيسة القديس هاكوب الأرمن الأورثوذكس) * Armenian Catholic Church of Saint Joseph (كنيسة مار يوسف الأرمن الكاثوليك) * National Evangelical Presbyterian Church (الكنيسة الأنجيلية المشيخية الوطنية)
===Jews=== Historically, Qamishli was also home to a significant Jewish community. The origin of the Jews of Qamishli (unlike the Jews of Damascus and Aleppo who are a mixture of Sephardi Jews and Musta'arabi Jews) is the adjoining city of Nusaybin, on the other side of the Turkish-Syrian border. As after the foundation of Turkey in 1923, the major economic hubs were allocated to Turkey, the French Mandate authorities deemed it necessary to encourage the settlement or foundation of new villages and towns in the region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Schmidinger|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=omsMMQAACAAJ|title=Krieg und Revolution in Syrisch-Kurdistan: Analysen und Stimmen aus Rojava|date=2017-03-22|publisher=Mandelbaum Verlag|isbn=978-3-85476-665-0|pages=63|language=de}}</ref> The current town was founded in 1926 by the French Mandate, which following encouraged the settlement of the population in Nusaybin, which is located just across the border.<ref name=":0" /> Within a few years, Qamishli was more populous than Nusaybin.<ref name=":0" /> The major part of the Christian, and also of the Jewish population from Nusaybin moved to Qamsihli.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1930s the Jewish population of Qamishli numbered 3,000. After the escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 1947, the situation of the Jews of Qamishli deteriorated. The exodus of Jews from Syria peaked due to violence, such as the 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo. By 1963, the community had dwindled to 800, and after the Six-Day War it went down further to 150, of whom no one remain today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-of-syria|title=Jews of Syria|website=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref>
==Neighborhoods== thumb|Hotels in Qamishli Qamishli is divided into several districts, which are further divided into neighborhoods.
This is a list of the neighborhoods of Qamishli. {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Al-Zahra (Al-Wusta) * Al-Qusour * Al-Muwazafin * Qudour Bek * Al-Gharbiyah * Corniche * Al-Arbawiyah * Al-Ashouriyin (Assyrian) * Al-Siryan (Syriac) * Al-Bashiriyah * Tay * Al-Thawra * Al-Golan (Berkila) * Qanat al-Suways * Al-Antariyah * Maysaloun * Al-Hilaliyah * Jurnak * Alaiya (Hattin) * Mahmakiyah * Jumaayah * Halko {{div col end}}
==Transportation== Qamishli Airport was closed to civilians in October 2015, but later reopened. Syrian airline companies including Cham Wings Airlines, FlyDamas and Syrian Air provide flights between Qamishli and Damascus, Latakia, and Beirut.
==Media and education== The Kurdish-language newspaper ''Nu Dem'' has its headquarters in Qamishli.<ref name=Zurutuza/>
While prior to the Rojava conflict, there had been no institution of higher education in northeastern Syria, in September 2014 the Mesopotamian Social Sciences Academy started teaching.<ref name="New York Times"/><ref>{{cite web |title=First New University To Open In Rojava |work=Rojava Report |url=https://rojavareport.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/first-new-university-to-open-in-rojava/ |date=31 August 2014 |access-date=7 July 2016}}</ref> Following the University of Afrin,<ref>{{cite web |author=Sardar Mlla Drwish |title=Syria's first Kurdish university attracts controversy as well as students |work=Al Monitor |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/kurds-rojava-afrin-first-university-ideology-ocalan.html |date=18 May 2016 |access-date=7 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521193644/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/kurds-rojava-afrin-first-university-ideology-ocalan.html |archive-date=21 May 2016 }}</ref> in July 2016 the Jazira Canton's Board of Education officially established the second Syrian Kurdish university in Qamishli. The University of Rojava initially comprised four faculties: Medicine, Engineering, Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. Programs taught include health, oil, computer and agricultural engineering, physics, chemistry, history, psychology, geography, mathematics, primary school teaching, and Kurdish literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anfenglish.com/kurdistan/university-of-rojava-to-be-opened|title='University of Rojava' to be opened|publisher=ANF|date=2016-07-04|access-date=2016-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104144550/http://www.anfenglish.com/kurdistan/university-of-rojava-to-be-opened|archive-date=2017-01-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=k24education>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/dfa4b335-fe1c-4a3c-b5b6-7bc5848e9e97/Kurds-establish-university-in-Rojava-amid-Syrian-instability|title=Kurds establish university in Rojava amid Syrian instability|publisher=Kurdistan24|date=2016-07-07|access-date=2016-07-07}}</ref>
==Sports== [[File: Qamishli Stadium.jpg|thumb|7 April Stadium]] Al-Jihad SC is the largest football club in the city and plays at 7 April Stadium.
== Notable people == * Aram Tigran, singer * Arsen Grigoryan, singer * Viyan Antar, Kurdish (YPJ) fighter * Ciwan Haco, singer * Sanharib Malki, footballer * Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo * Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church * Gabriel Asaad, Assyrian Musician * Salim Barakat, novelist and poet * Agop Donabidian, football coach and former player * Mihemed Şêxo, kurdish folk singer * Noureddin Issa Ahmed, Governor of Hasakah (2026-present)
==See also== * Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Qamishli * Assyrians in Syria * Kurds in Syria
== Explanatory notes == <references group="nb" responsive=„1"></references>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Qamishli}} * [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/from-qamishli-to-qamishlo-a-trip-to-rojavas-new-capital "From Qamishli to Qamishlo: A Trip to Rojava's New Capital"], Fabrice Balanche, Fikra Forum of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 13 April 2017 * [http://globalag.igc.org/armedconflict/countryreports/middleeast/kurd.htm "Amnesty Raises Kurd Issue", on Kurds in Qamishli, 2005]
{{Cities of Syria}} {{Al-Hasakah Governorate|qamishli}} {{Assyrian people footer}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qamishli}} Category:Qamishli Category:Assyrian communities in Syria Category:Armenian communities in Syria Category:Christian communities in Syria Category:Cities in Syria Category:Jazira Region Category:Kurdish communities in Syria Category:Populated places in Qamishli District Category:Upper Mesopotamia