Deir Atiyah

Dair Atiah ديرعطية
Dair Atiah Location in Syria
Coordinates: 34°05′N 36°46′E / 34.083°N 36.767°E / 34.083; 36.767Coordinates: 34°05′N 36°46′E / 34.083°N 36.767°E / 34.083; 36.767
Country	Syria
Governorate	Rif Dimashq Governorate
District	An-Nabk District
Elevation	1,250 m (4,101 ft)
Population (2004)
- Total	29,254

Dair Atiah (Arabic: ديرعطية‎), is a city in Syria, located between the Qalamoun Mountains and the Eastern Lebanon Mountains Series, 88 kilometres (55 mi) north of the capital Damascus and on the road to the city of Homs. Dair Atiah's current population is estimated to be around 29,254 people.^[1]

Dair Atiah enjoys a moderate climate in summer and cold in the winter as Dair Atiah is located at an altitude of 1,250 metres (4,100 ft) above sea level.

The proximity to a desert region, where the average rainfall does not exceed more than 125 millimetres (4.9 in) annually, means that environmental conditions, including poor soil, does not provide adequate resources to economically sustain the local population. Hence locals travel or emigrate.^{[citation needed]} Many locals emigrated to the Americas in the early 20th Century, and to the countries of Persian Gulf after the emergence of job opportunities there, and to Eastern Asia.

Agriculture

Farmers cultivate grapes, apricots, cherries, figs and other fruits.

Dair Atiah benefits from groundwater located in its valley.

Dair Atiah has a number of windmills (sometimes referred to as Air Wheels). The power generated by the windmills is used to pump water from deep wells. The origins of the windmills are not known, but they are reported to be a major source of power to pump water for agriculture for more than a hundred years.^[2][3]

Culture

Dair Atiah has a museum, a sports center and cultural center.

In 2003, the first private university in Syria, University of Kalamoon, was opened in Dair Atiyah.

Dair Atiah's population reflects Syria's religious diversity, made up primarily of Muslims and Christians who built strong family relationships between each other.^{[dubious – discuss]}

People in Dair Atiah consume a hot drink called Mate, which Syrian expatriates brought and introduced from South America. The invitation "Come and drink Mate" is typical of this region's hospitality. The invitation implies not only the sharing of a drink, but also a meal.

Dair Atiah's History

Historians match the name of this city with Romanian Commander Theodorus Paulus whose name means "Giving God" (Arabic: عطاء الله‎). This name has been associated in minds of successive generations in Dair Atiah for more than thousand years.^{[citation needed]}

A number of ancient Roman channels can be found in Yabrud,^[4] close to Dair Atiah.

Main sights

The Museum of Dair Atiah

The Museum of Dair Atiah is one of the biggest and richest museums in Damascus suburb, Reif Dimashq. It contains the heritage and folklore of the region.

The Canonical Museum of Dair Atiah

The Cultural Palace of Dair Atiah

The Village of Special Needs

Hammam el-Souk el-Tahtanye

References

1. ^ http://www.cbssyr.org/General%20census/census%202004/pop-man.pdf
2. ^ "Save The Environment: let's build more Air Wheels". DAirAtiah Blog. 2006-12-19. http://dairatiah.blogspot.com/2006/12/save-enviroment-lets-build-more-air.html. Retrieved 2008-07-30. 
3. ^ "DairAtiah.com" (in Arabic). http://www.dairatiah.com/. Retrieved 2008-07-04. 
4. ^ "YabroudOnline.com" (in Arabic). http://www.yabroudonline.com/. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 

External links

• Dara3ta.com (Arabic)
• DairAtiah.net (Arabic)
• DairAtiah.com (Arabic)
• Alkasab school (Arabic)