Atarib

In December 1110, Tancred, Prince of Galilee pounded the walls of Atarib, which forced Seljuq ruler of Aleppo, Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, to purchase peace by handing Atarib and Zardana to Tancred, in addition to twenty thousand dinars and ten of best Arab horses.{{sfn|Runciman|1987|p=118}}

In August 1119, Ilghazi, joined by Toghtekin and two other Muslim chieftains, captured Atarib following the Battle of Ager Sanguinis. However, Atarib was ceded back to the Crusaders a year later during an internal conflict between Ilghazi and his son Suleiman.{{sfn|Runciman|1987|p=153}} Later on, the Zengid leader Imad ad-Din Zengi conquered Kafartab and other fortress cities along the eastern frontier of the Principality of Antioch's territories, such as Atarib, Maarrat al-Numan and Zardana in the spring of 1135.{{sfn|Venning|2015|p=101}} Afterwards, Atarib was briefly captured by Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos during his campaigns in Syria in 1138.

The city was later devastated by the 1138 Aleppo earthquake, then occupied by Muslims.

{{anchor|civilwar}}During the Syrian Revolution, Atarib has been a rebel-held town. Anti-Assad regime demonstrations took place in Atarib early in the Syrian revolution, in April 2011. It became a centre for defected officers from the Syrian Arab Army, who would go on to form the nucleus of the Free Syrian Army and specifically its al-Mutasem Bi’ allah brigade. Government forces were forced out in July 2012. In August 2012, it was reported that every building downtown was damaged, with windows blown out, doors peppered with shrapnel and awnings shredded to ribbons. At the center sat the charred shells of the police station and city hall, which troops occupied in February. For months, local rebels attacked their positions and tried to cut their supply lines. By the time the army left in June, the city was destroyed and deserted. Town leaders have formed military and civil councils and opened a prison that holds some 15 people. The army shelled the town daily, keeping residents away.[https://news.yahoo.com/rebels-carve-large-enclave-north-syria-200959664.html "Rebels carve out large enclave in north Syria"], AP, Aug 11, 2012. Only about 4,000 residents remained as of August 2012.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cg7Z0AIQFY حصاد الجزيرة وأخر مستجدات معركة حلب هــ جداـام], Aljazeera, 9/8/2012.

It "is known for its history of civil and armed resistance against both the Syrian government and hard-line Islamist groups" and its residents have driven out both ISIL in 2014 and al-Nusra troops in 2015. By November 2013, the town was controlled by ISIL.{{cite news|title=Battles rage around Damascus, jihadists slay rival rebel leader|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Nov-28/239185-battles-rage-around-damascus-jihadists-slay-rival-rebel-leader.ashx#axzz2ltEUh3WA|author=Marlin Dick|publisher=Daily Star|date=28 November 2013|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522142257/http://www.dailystar.com.lb//News/Middle-East/2013/Nov-28/239185-battles-rage-around-damascus-jihadists-slay-rival-rebel-leader.ashx#axzz2ltEUh3WA|url-status=dead}} By early January 2014, clashes were reported between the Islamic Front and ISIS forces in the town.[http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2014/01/al-qaeda-gaat-helemaal-los-in-syri Al Qaeda gaat helemaal los in Syrië] Dagelijkse Standaard, 4 January 2014 By April 2014, the town was back under rebel control. By June 2014, clashes were reported between the FSA and al-Nusra; about five days later, most of al-Nusra Front withdrew from the towns of Atarib and Sarmada.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} Al-Nusra attempted to take control of the city in February 2015. During al-Nusra's campaign to eliminate the FSA-affiliated Hazzm Movement, al-Nusra reportedly threatened to besiege Atarib and demanded the surrender of locals who were members of the Hazzm Movement. However, with support from other rebel groups, Atarib resisted al-Nusra control.

In 2017, it came within one of the "de-escalation zones" brokered between Russia, Iran and Turkey, but has been bombed since by government forces, including strikes on the marketplace in November 2017,[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/world/middleeast/syria-de-escalation-zones-atarib.html Marked for ‘De-escalation,’ Syrian Towns Endure Surge of Attacks], New York Times 18 November 2017Haid Haid [https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/research/2017-06-01-local-community-resistance-syria-atarib-haid.pdf Local Community Resistance to Extremist Groups in Syria: Lessons from Atarib] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222094322/https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/research/2017-06-01-local-community-resistance-syria-atarib-haid.pdf |date=2017-12-22 }} Chatham House, June 2017[https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/12/22/targeting-civilians-public-market-al-atarib/ Bombing Civilians at Public Market in Syria’s Atarib], Bellingcat 22 December 2017 described by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria as a possible war crime, the first time it has explicitly implicated Russia in possible war crimes.{{cite web | last=Nebehay | first=Stephanie | title=Russia and U.S. air strikes caused mass civilian deaths in Syria: U.N. | website=U.S. | date=2018-03-06 | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-warcrimes-idUSKCN1GI1DY | access-date=2019-12-17}}

The town was severely damaged by the earthquake of 6 February 2023, with hundreds of residents killed or injured.

On 28 November 2024, during the Northwestern Syria offensive, fifteen civilians were killed in a Russian airstrike in the town.{{cite web|url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/350107/|title=Committing new massacre in Al-Atareb {{!}} Russian and regime fighter jets execute nearly 60 airstrikes in Idlib and Aleppo countryside|work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date=28 November 2024}}

Atarib has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa).

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Atarib

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 10.6

|Feb high C = 12.9

|Mar high C = 16.8

|Apr high C = 22.2

|May high C = 28.1

|Jun high C = 32.7

|Jul high C = 35.0

|Aug high C = 35.3

|Sep high C = 33.2

|Oct high C = 27.1

|Nov high C = 18.6

|Dec high C = 12.5

|Jan mean C=6.6

|Feb mean C=7.9

|Mar mean C=11.1

|Apr mean C=15.7

|May mean C=20.6

|Jun mean C=25.2

|Jul mean C=27.8

|Aug mean C=28.2

|Sep mean C=25.5

|Oct mean C=19.8

|Nov mean C=12.7

|Dec mean C=8.1

|Jan low C = 2.6

|Feb low C = 2.9

|Mar low C = 5.4

|Apr low C = 9.1

|May low C = 13.1

|Jun low C = 17.7

|Jul low C = 20.5

|Aug low C = 21.0

|Sep low C = 17.7

|Oct low C = 12.5

|Nov low C = 6.8

|Dec low C = 3.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 82

|Feb precipitation mm = 71

|Mar precipitation mm = 55

|Apr precipitation mm = 40

|May precipitation mm = 18

|Jun precipitation mm = 4

|Jul precipitation mm = 0

|Aug precipitation mm = 0

|Sep precipitation mm = 3

|Oct precipitation mm = 26

|Nov precipitation mm = 43

|Dec precipitation mm = 74

|year precipitation mm= 416

|source = Climate-Data.org {{cite web

|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/423368/

|title = Climate: Atarib

|publisher = Climate-Data.org

|access-date = September 6, 2018

}}

}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Runciman|first=Steven|title=A History of the Crusades, Volume 2|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1987|isbn=9780521347716}}
• {{cite book|last1=Venning|first1=Timothy|title=A Chronology of the Crusades|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317496434|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ubflCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76}}

{{Aleppo Governorate|atarib}}

{{Cities of Syria}}

Category:Populated places in Atarib District