Qudsaya
قدسيا
Qudsaya is located in Syria
Qudsaya
Qudsaya
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 33°32′N 36°13′E / 33.533°N 36.217°E / 33.533; 36.217
Country Syria
GovernorateRif Dimashq
DistrictQudsaya
SubdistrictQudsaya
Elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)
Population
 (2004 census)[1]
 • Total33,571

Qudsaya (Arabic: قدسيا, romanized: Qudsayā) is a Syrian city in Rif Dimashq Governorate and the administrative centre of Qudsaya District. The city is located on the western slope of Mount Qasioun, 7 km west of Damascus. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Qudsaya had a population of 33,571 in the 2004 census.[1] Adjacent to the town is the modern suburb of Dahiyat Qudsaya. The city mostly consists of Alawites and Circassians.

History

During the Syrian Civil War, the town was taken by the rebels and blockaded by the government in 2012.[2] A truce ending the blockade was reached in November 2013.[3] The government placed the town under siege again in July 2015, until a deal was reached in November 2015 for the rebels to be transferred to Idlib province.[4] On 12 October 2016, armed fighters turned in their weaponry as per the surrender deal in which about 150 rebel fighters from Qudsaya and al-Hamah will be allowed safe-passage to rebel-held areas in Idlib. More than 300 rebel fighters who have chosen to stay behind will have their cases settled.[5][6] The agreement was completed on the following day, with rebels being allowed to leave along with their family members.[7]

Climate

Qudsaya has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Qudsaya is 15.9 °C (60.6 °F). About 258 mm (10.16 in) of precipitation falls annually.

Climate data for Qudsaya
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.8
(51.4) 		12.5
(54.5) 		16.2
(61.2) 		21.2
(70.2) 		26.8
(80.2) 		31.6
(88.9) 		34.0
(93.2) 		34.4
(93.9) 		30.8
(87.4) 		25.9
(78.6) 		18.8
(65.8) 		13.1
(55.6) 		23.0
(73.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.3
(34.3) 		2.0
(35.6) 		4.3
(39.7) 		7.6
(45.7) 		11.1
(52.0) 		14.4
(57.9) 		16.1
(61.0) 		16.3
(61.3) 		13.5
(56.3) 		10.4
(50.7) 		6.3
(43.3) 		3.1
(37.6) 		8.9
(47.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 60
(2.4) 		47
(1.9) 		30
(1.2) 		15
(0.6) 		10
(0.4) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		10
(0.4) 		31
(1.2) 		55
(2.2) 		258
(10.2)
Source: Climate-Data.org,Climate data

References

  1. ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. ^ "Syrian army reported to be carrying out a major offensive on Qudsaya". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Truce Reached In Blockaded Town Of Qudsaya". Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Qudsaya siege: Syrian rebels transferred to Idlib under deal". Al-Araby. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. ^ Adra, Zen (12 October 2016). "Syria: Rebels hand over weapons as per evacuation deal". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  6. ^ استمرار عمليات إدخال حافلات إلى قدسيا والهامة لتهجير من تبقى من المقاتلين وعوائلهم SOHR (13 October 2016)
  7. ^ Displacing of hundreds of fighters and their families from al-Hameh and Qudsayya is completed SOHR (13 October 2016)


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