Al-Suqaylabiyah

Al-Suqaylabiyah is located in the northwestern section of the Hama Governorate, about from the governorate capital of Hama. The city overlooks the Ghab Valley and is a commercial center connecting the communities of the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range with the country's interior plains. The old center of al-Suqaylabiyah sits on a hill with an elevation of about above sea level. ==History==

The name goes back to the ancient Seleucia ad Belum, a town of Hellenistic foundation that was located almost at the same place. Syrian Civil War During The Syrian civil war Al-Suqaylabiyah acted as vital pro government center for local militias largely due to its strategic location near opposition held areas and its predominantly Christian population causing the town to become heavily militarized from 2013 onward. Analysis from The New Arab describes the town as being "sandwiched" between opposition Sunni towns and regime controlled areas, leading to a "local mobilisation" that militarised the community. Its alignment with the government forces made it a frequent target of shelling from nearby rebel-held territories especially Qalaat al-Madiq, leaving residents caught between opposing sides and leading to destruction. By 2 May 2019, at least 165 residents of the town had been killed of the course of the Syrian Civil War.. ==Economy==

A significant component of the population is engaged in agricultural production and the major crops are wheat, cotton, sugar beets, vegetables and legumes. The city's grain is processed in its own facilities, while its beets are sold through the sugar factory at Tell Salhab and its cotton is processed through the gins in Hama. Its poultry and fish farms serve the needs of the city and the surrounding villages. Other sources of employment include industry, trade and services. Before the civil war at least, al-Suqaylabiyah drew domestic and other Arab tourists attracted to its proximity to the Roman–Byzantine ruins of Apamea, the medieval castles of Qalaat al-Madiq and Abu Qubays, and the Nahr al-Bared springs. In 2009, the city had over 100 physicians, a 120-bed public hospital and two private hospitals: Al-Kindi and the Surgery and Obstetrics Hospital. ==Places of worship==

The main church in al-Suqaylabiyah is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the Sultaniya neighborhood. It was built in the neo-Byzantine style in 1994 and has a capacity for 600 parishioners. There is also a monastery in the city, the Dormition of the Lady. Two years later, in July 2022, a missile attack during the church inauguration ceremony claimed two lives and left a dozen others injured. ==References==