:Tell Rifaat
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Tell Rifaat
| settlement_type = City
| native_name = تل رفعت
| native_name_lang = ar
| image_skyline = Tell Rifaat.png
| image_caption = Tell Rifaat in 2015
| pushpin_map = Syria
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Tell Rifaat in Syria
| coordinates = {{coord|region:SY-HL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syria
| subdivision_type1 = Governorate
| subdivision_name1 = Aleppo
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Azaz
| subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3 = Tell Rifaat
| parts_type = Control
| parts_style = para
| p1 = {{TUR}}
{{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Syrian transitional government
| elevation_m = 457
| population =
| population_density_km2 =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
| timezone = EET
| utc_offset = +2
| timezone_DST = EEST
| utc_offset_DST = +3
| geocode = C1621
| website =
}}
Tell Rifaat ({{langx|ar|تل رفعت|Tall Rifʿat}}, also spelled Tel Rifaat, Tel Rif'at or Tal Rifaat) is a city in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. Located roughly {{convert|40|km|mi}} north of Aleppo, the city is the administrative center of Nahiya Tell Rifaat. Nearby localities include Azaz to the north, Mare' to the east, Kafr Naya to the south, Deir Jmal and Oqayba to the southwest and Ibbin Samaan to the west. In the 2004 census, Tell Rifaat had a population of 20,514.{{#tag:ref|{{cite web |title=2004 Census Data for Nahiya Tell Rifaat|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-24-2004.htm |publisher=Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics |language=ar }} Also available in English: {{cite web |author=UN OCHA |author-link=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |title=2004 Census Data |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/syrian-arab-republic-other-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 |publisher=Humanitarian Data Exchange }}|name=census2004}}
During the Syrian Civil War, Tell Rifaat was captured by the Free Syrian Army in 2012, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2014, and the Islamic Front in 2015. During this time, the town was bombed several times by the government of Ba'athist Syria and its allies. Tell Rifaat was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces on 16 February 2016 after heavy Russian air strikes which destroyed all three health facilities in the town.{{cite web | url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2016/03/syrian-and-russian-forces-targeting-hospitals-as-a-strategy-of-war/ | title=Syrian and Russian forces targeting hospitals as a strategy of war | publisher=Amnesty International | date=2016-06-03 | access-date=2016-05-05 | archive-date=2016-05-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513044454/https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2016/03/syrian-and-russian-forces-targeting-hospitals-as-a-strategy-of-war/ | url-status=live }} Following a rebel offensive against the SAA in December 2024, the town once again fell under control of the Turkish-backed rebel forces (SNA & SIG) and was not incorporated into the Syrian Transitional Government until January 2025.{{Cite web |title=The Status of Syria’s Transition After Two Months |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/status-syrias-transition-after-two-months |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Washington Institute |language=en}}
History
Tell Rifaat has been inhabited since the Iron Age when it was known as "Arpad." It became the capital of the north Syrian Aramean state of Bit Agusi established by Gus of Yahan in the 9th-century BCE.Lipinsky, 2000, p. 195. Bit Agusi stretched from the A'zaz area in the north to Hamath in the south.Lipinsky, 2000, p. 99.
Arpad later became a major vassal city of the Kingdom of Urartu. In 743 BCE, during the Urartu-Assyria War, the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser II laid siege to Arpad following the defeat of the Urartuan army of Sarduri II at Samsat. The siege ended with the Assyrian capture of the city in 743 BCE.Healy, 1992, p. 25. Afterward Arpad served a provincial capital.Kipfer, p. 626. The remains of Arpad's walls are still preserved in Tell Rifaat to the height of 8 meters.Lipinsky, 2000, p. 529.
A settlement existed on the modern-day site of Tell Rifaat during the Seleucid period (301 BCE-63 BCE). A hoard of coins from this period was discovered in 1967.Grainger, 1997, p. 787. After the nearby Tell Aran, Tell Rifaat is the largest tell in the Jabal Semʻān region.Lipinsky, 2000, p. 208.
=Syrian Civil War=
For a period of about seven months in 2012, Tell Rifaat was besieged by Syrian security forces. During the siege, residents were unable to receive food supplies, including bread, from Aleppo.{{cite web |last=Yezdani |first=İpek |date=2012-08-07 |title=Tel Rifaat residents hail rebels for control of town |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tel-rifaat-residents-hail-rebels-for-control-of-town.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27230&NewsCatID=352 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808004915/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tel-rifaat-residents-hail-rebels-for-control-of-town.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27230&NewsCatID=352 |archive-date=2012-08-08 |access-date=2012-08-27 |publisher=Hurriyet Daily News}}
In the early summer of 2012, Syrian government authorities withdrew from Tell Rifaat following fighting with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Following this, government authorities in the town were replaced by a council made up of local Islamic scholars, judges and former Syrian Army officers, ruling in the basis of Sharia.Zalewski, Piotr. [https://world.time.com/2012/08/10/syrias-rebel-judges-promise-sharia-justice-with-mercy/ Syria’s Rebel Judges Promise Sharia Justice With Mercy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722051114/https://world.time.com/2012/08/10/syrias-rebel-judges-promise-sharia-justice-with-mercy/ |date=2024-07-22 }}. TIME. 2012-08-10. Since its capture by the FSA, opposition rebels have been transporting flour for bread from Turkey to Tell Rifaat.
On 8 August 2012, Tell Rifaat was bombed by the Syrian Air Force, resulting in the deaths of 6 people, all members of the Blaw family.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |date=9 August 2012 |title=Syrian troops push into Aleppo to oust rebels |url=https://en.sun.mv/4840 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=SunOnline International |language=en}} Opposition activists based in Aleppo claimed that Syrian Army forces were attempting to cut off the FSA's transport route between Tell Rifaat and Aleppo.{{Cite web |date=2012-08-09 |title=Clashes rage in Syria's rebel bastions |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/clashes-rage-in-syrias-rebel-bastions-20120809-23xe9.html |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}
By November 2013, the town came under control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after they ousted the local Al-Tawhid Brigade.{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Gul Tuysuz,Raja Razek,Nick Paton |date=2013-11-05 |title=Al Qaeda-linked group strengthens hold in northern Syria |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/syria-turkey-al-qaeda/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=CNN |language=en}} In January 2014, ISIL forces withdrew from the northern Aleppo area, and rebel fighters, mainly members of the Al-Nusra Front and Islamic Front, defeated ISIL militants in the town. The Conquest Brigade of the Islamic Front came into control of the town.{{cite web|url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/15865/special-report-northern-storm-and-the-situation|title=Special Report: Northern Storm and the Situation in Azaz (Syria)|publisher=MERIA Journal|date=7 January 2015|access-date=8 January 2015|archive-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527142536/http://www.aymennjawad.org/15865/special-report-northern-storm-and-the-situation|url-status=live}}
By January 2015, Tell Rifaat was under the control of the Conquest Brigade of the Islamic Front.
On 15 February 2016, the town was captured by the Kurdish YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Army of Revolutionaries.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/16/middleeast/syria-battle-north/index.html|title=Syria war near Aleppo: Huge impact on Sunni moderates|author=Nick Paton Walsh|website=CNN|access-date=2017-05-27|archive-date=2017-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706054929/http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/16/middleeast/syria-battle-north/index.html|url-status=live}} Russian airstrikes, which preceded the SDF assault, forced the majority of the population to escape towards rebel-controlled territories or across the border north into Turkey.{{cite web|url=https://time.com/4229812/syrian-refugees-turkey-border/|title=The Syrian Refugees Trapped Between an Angry Turkey and a Vengeful Assad|publisher=Time magazine|date=18 February 2016|access-date=24 June 2016|archive-date=5 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305061236/http://time.com/4229812/syrian-refugees-turkey-border/|url-status=live}} Since the SDF capture of Tell Rifaat, the town became the headquarters of the Army of Revolutionaries.{{cite web|url=http://en.hawarnews.com/jaysh-al-thuwar-regime-and-opposition-claims-are-baseless/|title=Jaysh al-Thuwar: Regime and opposition claims are baseless|work=Hawar News Agency|date=12 February 2017|access-date=27 May 2017|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010113202/http://en.hawarnews.com/jaysh-al-thuwar-regime-and-opposition-claims-are-baseless/|url-status=live}} After the Turkish Army and allied rebel groups captured Afrin during Operation Olive Branch, displaced residents of Tel Rifaat rallied in Azaz to demand the expulsion of the SDF from the town.{{cite web | url=https://www.trtworld.com/mea/residents-of-syria-s-tel-rifaat-demand-turkey-to-free-their-town-like-afrin-16196 | title=Residents of Syria's Tel Rifaat demand Turkey to free their town like Afrin | publisher=TRT | date=2018-03-24 | access-date=2018-03-28 | archive-date=2018-03-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328164456/https://www.trtworld.com/mea/residents-of-syria-s-tel-rifaat-demand-turkey-to-free-their-town-like-afrin-16196 | url-status=live }} At the end of March 2018, the Syrian Republican Guard and the Russian Armed Forces entered the town.{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-confirmation-tal-riffat-under-control-of-syrian-army-republican-guard-and-russian-army/|title=Video confirmation: Tal Riffat under control of Syrian Army Republican Guard and Russian Army|publisher=Al Masdar News|access-date=30 March 2018|archive-date=31 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331104404/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-confirmation-tal-riffat-under-control-of-syrian-army-republican-guard-and-russian-army/|url-status=dead}}
On 2 December 2019 a Turkish artillery attack killed eight children, all under 15 years old, on their walk to school.{{cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/eight-children-reportedly-killed-attacks-tal-rifaat-rural-aleppo-north-syria|title=Eight children reportedly killed in attacks on Tal Rifaat in rural Aleppo in the north of Syria|publisher=UNICEF|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=2 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202214141/https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/eight-children-reportedly-killed-attacks-tal-rifaat-rural-aleppo-north-syria|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=2019-12-02 |title=Several children killed in Turkish artillery attack in northern Syria, monitor says |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20191202-several-children-killed-in-turkish-artillery-attack-in-northern-syria-monitor-says |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214080444/https://www.france24.com/en/20191202-several-children-killed-in-turkish-artillery-attack-in-northern-syria-monitor-says |url-status=live }}
On 1 December 2024, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army took control of Tell Rifaat and its surrounding villages in Operation Dawn of Freedom.{{cite news |title=Syrian National Army enters Tel Rifaat in major offensive against PKK/YPG terror corridor |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syrian-national-army-enters-tel-rifaat-in-major-offensive-against-pkk-ypg-terror-corridor/3410334 |access-date=1 December 2024 |work=www.aa.com.tr |agency=Anadolu Agency |date=1 December 2024 |archive-date=1 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201171446/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syrian-national-army-enters-tel-rifaat-in-major-offensive-against-pkk-ypg-terror-corridor/3410334 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=More than 200,000 Syrians trapped in Operation "Dawn of Freedom"... Communications cut off in northern Aleppo countryside and fears of massacres against Kurdish citizens |url=https://www.syriahr.com/%d8%ad%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a3%d9%83%d8%ab%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-200-%d8%a3%d9%84%d9%81-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%81%d8%ac%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1/738649/ |access-date=1 December 2024 |publisher=SOHR |date=1 December 2024 |language=Arabic}}
In February 2025, according to some sources, residents returning to Tel Rifaat, Syria, after displacement since 2016, confronted extensive devastation. The town, previously controlled by Kurdish forces and later seized by Turkish-backed rebels, is now characterized by widespread ruins and a complex network of underground military tunnels. These tunnels, constructed beneath homes and public buildings, have compromised structural integrity, complicating reconstruction efforts. Returning families find their homes stripped of essentials like wiring and plumbing. A concrete wall, once a military barrier, now obstructs access to farmland. Despite poor infrastructure, the resilient residents of Tel Rifaat are diligently clearing debris and striving to rebuild their lives.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-10 |title=AP PHOTOS: Syrians returning to the town of Tel Rifaat find homes in ruins and underground tunnels |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-tel-rifaat-kurds-photos-e2d62f4876886f3e5ea71e985f009db7 |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=AP News |language=en}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Healy|title=The Ancient Assyrians|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hodh6fgx-DMC&q=Arpad+Syria|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=1992|isbn=1855321637}}
- {{cite book|first=John D.|last=Grainger|title=A Seleukid Prosopography and Gazetteer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqxipjRXCf4C&q=Tell+Rifaat+Syria|publisher=BRILL|year=1997|isbn=9004107991|access-date=2020-10-29|archive-date=2022-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407221545/https://books.google.com/books?id=eqxipjRXCf4C&q=Tell+Rifaat+Syria|url-status=live}}
- {{cite book|first=Barbara Ann|last=Kipfer|title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XneTstDbcC0C&q=Tel+Rifaat|publisher=Springer|year=2000|isbn=0306461587}}
- {{cite book|first=Edward|last=Lipinsky|title=The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrMKKtiBBI4C&q=Tell+Rif'at|publisher=Peeters Publishers|year=2000|isbn=9042908599}}
{{refend}}
{{Aleppo Governorate|azaz}}{{Authority control}}
Category:Populated places in Azaz District