Sahnaya
{{Short description|Town in southern Syria}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Sahnaya
|native_name = صحنايا
|image_skyline =
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|pushpin_map =Syria
|pushpin_mapsize =250
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syria
|subdivision_type1 = Governorate
|subdivision_name1 = Rif Dimashq
|subdivision_type2 = District
|subdivision_name2 = Darayaa
|subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict
|subdivision_name3 = Sahnaya
|settlement_type = Town
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|population_as_of = 2004 census
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|population_total = 13993
|timezone = EET
|utc_offset = +2
|timezone_DST = EEST
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|coordinates = {{coord|33|25|27|N|36|13|28|E|region:SY|display=inline}}
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Sahnaya ({{langx|ar|صحنايا}}, also spelled Sihnaya or Sehnaya) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located southwest of Damascus in the western Ghouta. Nearby localities include Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, Darayya, Muadamiyat al-Sham, Jdeidat Artouz, Khan Danun and Al-Kiswah. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Sahnaya had a population of 13,993 in the 2004 census.[https://web.archive.org/web/20160919170205/http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB03-35-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004]. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. {{in lang|ar}} The town is also the administrative center of the Sahnaya nahiyah consisting of two towns with a combined population of 44,512. Sahnaya is one of the few towns in the Ghouta with a majority Druze community, along with Jaramana, Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and Deir Ali.{{cite book|first=Kais|last=Firro|title=A History of the Druzes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=usEUXYnYWxAC&q=Najran+Hauran|volume=1|publisher=BRILL|year=1992|isbn=9004094377|page=34}}
History
Sahnaya's residents are predominantly Druze and Greek Orthodox. The cavern of St. Paul near the town was supposedly the hiding place of Paul the Apostle when he was pursued in Damascus.Burckhard, 1822, p. 48.
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Sahnaya as being located in the Wady el-'Ajam, and being populated with Druze and Antiochian Greek Christians.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/148/mode/1up 148]
A former Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Argentina, Malatios Alsweti, comes from Sahnaya.
The town is also known for its old olive trees, some of which are around 500 years old.
Until the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Sahnaya was home to the main campus of the Little Village private school.{{cite web | url=https://lvs-sy.com/index.php/en/ | title=Home }} The school relocated to some unconnected campuses in Damascus.
Geography
Sahnaya has a rural population and a hot climate. Most houses are simple; they are mostly made of cement because it is located in Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world.
= Climate =
In Sahnaya, there is a local steppe climate. Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is BSk. The average annual temperature in Sahnaya is {{convert|17.0|°C|1}}. About {{convert|217|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.
{{Weather box|location = Sahnaya
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan high C = 12.1
|Feb high C = 13.9
|Mar high C = 17.7
|Apr high C = 22.6
|May high C = 28.4
|Jun high C = 33.1
|Jul high C = 35.2
|Aug high C = 35.6
|Sep high C = 31.9
|Oct high C = 27.0
|Nov high C = 20.0
|Dec high C = 14.3
|Jan low C = 2.3
|Feb low C = 3.0
|Mar low C = 5.3
|Apr low C = 8.4
|May low C = 12.1
|Jun low C = 15.4
|Jul low C = 16.9
|Aug low C = 17.2
|Sep low C = 14.5
|Oct low C = 11.5
|Nov low C = 7.2
|Dec low C = 4.1
|Jan precipitation mm = 49
|Feb precipitation mm = 39
|Mar precipitation mm = 26
|Apr precipitation mm = 13
|May precipitation mm = 8
|Jun precipitation mm = 0
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
|Sep precipitation mm = 0
|Oct precipitation mm = 8
|Nov precipitation mm = 29
|Dec precipitation mm = 45
|year precipitation mm= 217
|source = Climate-Data.org, Climate data
|date=19 January 2018}}
Demographics
Before the Syrian civil war, Sahanya was a Druzo-Christian town (nearly 55% Druze 45% Greek Orthodox Christians)
Recently, however, and due to the armed conflicts in Syria, other religious groups (mainly Sunni Muslims) moved to live in Sahnaya.
The town has an old church built from stone & named after Prophet Elijah and a Druze majlis (a Druze religious council for worshiping and meeting).
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book | first =J.L.| last= Burckhard|author-link=Johann Ludwig Burckhardt| title = Travels in Syria and the Holy Land| year = 1822 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KXBBAAAAcAAJ&q=%22Sahnaya%22&pg=PA48}}
- {{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|authorlink1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|authorlink2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=3}}
{{refend}}
{{Rif Dimashq Governorate|darayya}}
Category:Populated places in Darayya District
Category:Druze communities in Syria
Category:Christian communities in Syria
{{RifDimashqSY-geo-stub}}