Beit Jinn

This article is about the town in Syria. For the town in Israel, see Beit Jann.

Beit Jinn (Arabic: بيت جن), also known as Bayt Jin, Beit Jann or Beyt Jene, is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located southwest of Damascus on the foothills of Mount Hermon. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Beit Jinn had a population of 2,846 at the 2004 census.^[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.^[2]

Beit Jinn بيت جن
Town
Beit Jinn
Coordinates: 33°18′38″N 35°55′8″E
Country	Syria
Governorate	Rif Dimashq
District	Qatana
Subdistrict	Beit Jinn
Population  (2004 census)[1]
• Total	2,846
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code	11

The town is the administrative center of the Beit Jinn subdistrict, which consists of nine towns, with a combined population of 15,668.^[1] The subdistrict has a mixed Sunni and Druze population and contains a Druze religious shrine.^[3] Nearby localities include Arnah to the north, Darbal to the northeast, Mazraat Beit Jinn to the east, Harfa to the southeast, and Hader to the southwest. The Nahr al-Awaj river (generally identified with the biblical Pharpar) passes near the town.

History

Beit Jinn was visited by Andalusian geographer Ibn Jubayr in the late 12th century, during Ayyubid rule. He noted that it was "a village between Darayyah and Baniyas lying among the hills."^[4]

In 1838, during Ottoman rule, Eli Smith noted Beit Jinn's population as being predominantly Sunni Muslim.^[5]

In December 2017, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, control of the village was a source of fighting between the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Levant Liberation Committee.^[6] Following the Beit Jinn offensive of late 2017, the Syrian government took control of the area. The local rebels surrendered and were allowed to leave.^[7]

References

1. General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
2. Gilbert, Ben (2013-11-02). "Syria: Refugees dodge patrols on deadly mountain hike to safety". Al-Jazeera America.
3. Sharrouf, Ayman (2014-11-11). "Assad's Druze game exposed". NOW News. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
4. Le Strange, 1890, p. 412
5. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 139
6. The Associated Press (December 25, 2017). "Syrian troops capture new areas near Israeli-occupied Golan". The Washington Post. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that Syrian troops and their allies captured Monday three new areas from al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee [...] The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the fighters are now besieged in the village of Beit Jin and nearby areas after a 10-day intense offensive.^{[dead link]}
7. "Assad regains control as Syrian rebels abandon area bordering Golan Heights". Times of Israel.

Bibliography

• Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.