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Kafr Shams (Arabic: كفر شمس, also spelled Kfar Shams or Kafr ash-Shams) is a small city in southern Syria administratively belonging to the Al-Sanamayn District of the Daraa Governorate. It is 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) northwest of al-Sanamayn, just east of the Golan Heights and situated between Damascus and Daraa. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics Kafr Shams had a population of 12,435.[1]

Kafr Shams كفر شمس
Village
Kafr Shams
Coordinates: 33°7′N 36°7′E
Grid position	253/280 PAL
Country	Syria
Governorate	Daraa
District	Al-Sanamayn
Subdistrict	Al-Sanamayn
Elevation	800 m (2,600 ft)
Population  (2004)[1]
• Total	12,435.[1]
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

History

Kafr Shams experienced a construction boom during Byzantine Empire rule, particularly during the reign of Justinian I, mostly focused on large rural housing.[2] The town was dominated by the Ghassanids, an Arab Christian vassal kingdom of the Byzantines. The Ghassanids built a major Monophysite monastery there around 570 CE.[3]

Ottoman era

In 1838, Kefr Shems was noted as a village in the el-Jeidur district.[4]

In 1897 German archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher reported Kafr Shams had a population of 600 Muslims living in 120 to 130 huts. Ancient ruins and subterranean arches were noted in the village and the two Ghassanid monasteries were still largely intact.[5]

Modern era

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War Kafr Shams was the scene of clashes between the Israeli Army and the joint forces of the Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian armies.[6]

Many of the residents of Kafr Shams have participated in protests against the Syrian government as part of the 2011-2012 Syrian uprising.[7]

See also

• Hauran

References

Bibliography

External links

• Map of town, Google Maps
• Sanameine-map, 19L

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