Imtan

Imtan (Arabic: امتان‎) is a village in As Suwaydā' Governorate, southern Syria. Imtan is located 37 km south-east of the city of As Suwaydā', 1189 meters above sea level in the southern part of Jabal el Druze. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Imtan had a population of 2,495 in the 2004 census.[1]

Imtan

امتان
Imtan
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 32°25′N 36°49′E
Grid position320/203
Country Syria
Governorateas-Suwayda
DistrictSalkhad
SubdistrictSalkhad
Elevation
1,189 m (3,901 ft)
Population
 (2004 census)[1]
 • Total2,495
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

History

It is believed that the village has been inhabited since 6000 BCE, although there is little evidence supporting this. Imtan has many archeological sites spanning many eras, including the ruins of Roman public baths. The village played a major role in the Great Syrian Revolution against France in 1925.

In 1596 Imtan appeared in the Ottoman tax registers as al-Mubattan and was part of the nahiya of Bani Malik as-Sadir in the Qada of Hauran. It had an all Muslim population consisting of 7 households and 2 bachelors. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 20% on agricultural products, including on wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives; a total of 3,400 akçe.[2]

Demographics

The village is mainly inhabited by Druze. The inhabitants are predominantly poor. The inhabitants are well educated and the village is home to over 300 university graduates, amongst them are 80 engineers and 68 doctors.[3]

The inhabitants look to collaborative work as a way to compensate for the absence of government services. They collaborated to build a school, medical center, and cooperative retail store. They have also established a farmer's union and community fund which offers help to the poorest families.[3]

References
  1. General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Al-Suwayda Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 211.
  3. Fuad Al-Bunnei (April 20, 2005). "Mojtama' Madani Mossaghar (A Miniature Civil Society)" (in Arabic). An-Nour newspaper, issue No.195. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.

Bibliography

Further reading
  • Kissel, T. 2002a. A Reused Milestone from Imtan (Southern Syria)-New Evidence on the Limes Arabicus in the Second Century AD. In: Freeman, P. et al., eds. Limes XVIII. Proceedings of the XVlllth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies held in Amman, Jordan (September 2000) I. (BAR International Series 1084). Oxford: 161-174.

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