Kanaker, Syria

Kanaker (Arabic: كناكر) is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located southwest of Damascus. Nearby localities include Sa'sa' to the west, Beit Saber to the northwest, Khan al-Shih to the north, Zakiyah, al-Taybah, Khan Dannun and al-Kiswah to the northeast, Deir Ali and Jubb al-Safa to the east, Ghabaghib to the southeast, Kafr Nasej and Deir al-Adas to the south and Jabah to the southwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kanaker had a population of 13,950 in the 2004 census, making it the largest locality in the nahiyah ("subdistrict") of Saasaa.[1] Kanaker marks the western boundary of the Marj al-Suffar plain.[2]

Kanaker
كناكر
Village
Kanaker is located in Syria
Kanaker
Kanaker
Coordinates: 33°16′2″N 36°5′49″E
Country Syria
GovernorateRif Dimashq Governorate
DistrictQatana District
NahiyahSa'sa'
Population
 (2004 census)[1]
 • Total13,950
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code11

History

In 1838, Eli Smith noted Kanaker's population as being Sunni Muslims.[3]

Kanaker was settled by Druze from Mount Lebanon in 1862 and by 1867, the Abu Ras family, a prominent Druze clan and ally of the al-Atrash family, gained control of the village.[4] When the chief of the al-Atrash, Ismail Pasha, stayed a night at Kanaker, he massacred its Christian inhabitants before launching an attack on the Christian forces of the Shihab dynasty at Rashaya in Lebanon.[5] Kanaker continued to be inhabited by Druze through 1883 and a certain time beyond.[6]

During the Syrian civil war, on 27 July 2011, the Syrian human rights groups reported that eight or eleven people were killed during a Syrian Army raid in Kanaker and about 250 people were arrested. Four tanks and a bulldozer reportedly entered the village while another 14 tanks surrounded the place.[7] The rebels surrendered the village in December 2016 and turned themselves in to the Syrian Army. In exchange, they had their status legalized.[8][9]

Kanakri family

Some Jordanians of 3 villages in the north of the country, Irbid province (Kharja, Saham and Al nu'aimah) have the surname Kanakri. This relates them to Kanaker. These families have migrated from Kanaker-Syria down south to Jordan in the 19th century before the two countries been issuing their independence and new borders been issued. Of note, some of the families that migrated to present-day Jordan, are from Damascus proper.

References
  1. General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. Bosworth, p. 546.
  3. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 149
  4. Firro, 1992, p. 184.
  5. Marmaduke William Pickthall; Muhammad Asad (2000). Islamic Culture. Islamic Culture Board.
  6. Firro, 1992, p. 176.
  7. Syria forces kill eight in Kanaker raid - rights groups. BBC News. 2011-06-27.
  8. Jihadist rebels surrender large town near Golan Heights to Syrian Army. Al-Masdar News. 2011-12-13.
  9. More Than a Thousand Persons Receive Legal Status in Damascus. Prensa Latina. 2011-12-13.

Bibliography
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