Shaykh Hilal
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Shaykh Hilal had a population of 834 in the 2004 census. Around 1995 around half of the village's 1,200 inhabitants had emigrated due to the government ban that year on farming in the desert in its effort to counter desertification.
History
The modern village of Sheikh Hilal was founded in the 1930s. Its original name was Rasm Shaykh Hilal, the earliest mention of which was in the 1890s. It was named for a local Bedouin sheikh.
Beehive houses
The village is best known for its earthen beehive houses, of which there are over 140 with more than 300 domes (collectively). About three-quarters of the beehive houses are still inhabited by the villagers. The houses are considered a heritage site by Syria and in 2008–2009 the Friends of Salamiyah Association and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation commenced a project to restore the domes. The project aimed to improve the livelihoods of the villagers and create new streams of income from heritage tourism. As of 2011, Shaykh Hilal had hosted about 650 foreign visitors to the beehive houses.
References
- ^ ""Red Bands" encircle Hama city... "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" cuts off Hama-Raqqa and Hama-Aleppo roads and paves the way with ground shelling on a strategic mountain near Hama city" (in Arabic). SOHR. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Kahil, Tamam (10 December 2009). ""الشيخ هلال".. هل تنفست الصعداء؟ (Sheikh Hilal: Did You Breathe a Sigh of Relief?)". e-Syria (in Arabic). Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- ^ "General Census of Population 2004". Retrieved 2014-07-10.
- ^ Aldbiyat 2013, p. 35.
- ^ Aldbiyat 2013, pp. 35–36.
Bibliography
- Aldbiyat, Mohammed (April 2013). Kawakibi, Salam (ed.). "A Tale of "Community-Civic" Work in Salamiyah: The Experience of "Friends of Salamiyah" Society" (PDF). Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. 2: 34–39.