Suwayda Governorate

Al-Suwayda Governorate
مُحافظة السويداء
Map of Syria with al-Suwayda Governorate highlighted
Map of Syria with al-Suwayda Governorate highlighted
Coordinates (Al-Suwayda): 32°48′N 36°48′E / 32.8°N 36.8°E / 32.8; 36.8
Country Syria
Control Suwayda Military Council[1]
Al-Jabal Brigade
Sheikh al-Karama Forces
Men of Dignity[2]
CapitalAl-Suwayda
Manatiq (Districts)3
Government
 • GovernorMustafa al-Bakour
Area
 • Total
5,550 km2 (2,140 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
375,000[3]
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeSY-SU
Main language(s)Arabic

As-Suwayda or Al-Suwayda Governorate (Arabic: مُحافظة السويداء, romanizedMuḥāfaẓat as-Suwaydā’) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is the southernmost governorate, covering an area of 5,550 km², and is part of the historic Hawran region. The capital and largest city of the governorate is al-Suwayda.

Geographically the governorate comprises almost all of Jabal al-Druze, the eastern part of Lejah, and a part of the arid eastern steppe of Harrat al-Shamah.

Most inhabitants of As-Suwayda are employed in agriculture, cultivating crops such as grapes, apples, olives, and wheat. Additionally, As-Suwayda is home to numerous archaeological sites.

This governorate is unique in Syria as it has a Druze majority. Additionally, it has integrated Christian communities that have long coexisted harmoniously with the Druze in these mountains.[4]

  1. ^ Suwaida, Diaa al-Sahnawi ــ (28 February 2025). "Suweida Military Council - what does it want and who is behind it?". The New Arab. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Rebel factions in southern Syria – Southern Operations Room (SOR)". Alma Research and Education Center. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference DruzeAssad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Balanche, Fabrice (2017). Atlas of the Near East: State Formation and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1918–2010. Brill. p. 27. ISBN 9789004345188. ...comprised 50,328 inhabitants, of whom 85 per cent were Druze, and it integrated Christian communities (7,000 people) who had long lived in these mountains in harmony with the Druze.

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