Sirghaya
Encyclopedia
Sirghaya is small town located in the Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

 countryside in south west Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

.

Geography

It is 60 km from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

 and 1,446 m above sea level. It is at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon
Anti-Lebanon
The Anti-Lebanon mountains is the Western name for the Eastern Lebanon Mountain Range , which are a southwest-northeast-trending mountain range between Syria and Lebanon. Its Western name comes from the Greek word for ‘opposite’. The majority of the mountain range lies in Syria. The border between...

 Mountain.
Sirghaya has a moderate climate with a temperature that varies from 25 to 32 degrees Celsius all summer season and very cold climate with temperature varies from -5 up to 10 all winter when snow covers the land and mountain.
It is connected to Damascus via Zabadani and also has old rail reaches to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

 via Riyaq (or Rayak), Bekaa.
The town has very impressive vistas and fresh water resources such springs and wells.

Nearby Towns
  • West :`Utayb (3.5 nm)
  • North: Yahfufah (3.4 nm), Al Khuraybah (4.0 nm), Ma`rabun (3.4 nm)
  • East: Al `Uwayni (0.4 nm)
  • South: `Ayn al Hawr (2.2 nm)

Economy

Economy for this town is based on agricultural activities and the main crops are (Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

, Cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

, Pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....

, Peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...

 and Apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...

).

Etymology

It is believed that the name Sirghaya has an Aramaic origin, which means horse saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...

 because of the shape of the valley surrounded by mountains.

There are no major archaeological remains only some caves and tombs.

It is believed that some Lebanese families originated in Sirghaya such as Hellou and Hawayek
Hawayek
The surname Howayek, Hawayek and its variants are common in the Christian Catholic Maronite clan from Lebanon. The majority of the members live in three Lebanese towns Bdadoun, Hsarat and Helta as well as some other smaller towns in Lebanon and Syria in addition to the family members who have...

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