Qamishli

Qamishli ( , ,   or  , ) is a ceety in northeastren Sirie on the mairch wi Turkey, adjoinin the Turkis ceety o Nusaybin, an close tae Iraq. It is pairt o the Al-Hasakah Govrenorate, an is the admeenistrative caipital o the Qamishli Destrict athin the govrenorate.

Etymology
The ceety wis initially a sma veelage inhabitit bi Assiries/Siriacs cried beṯ zālin ()  meanin "hoose o reed". The current name is a turkifeed form o it, whaur "kamış" means "reed" in Turkis.

Demographics
Wi a population o 184,231 (2004 Census), Qamishli is amang the 10 lairgest ceeties in Sirie.

Qamishli, oreeginally an Assirie/Siriac ceety, in modren times is o mixed ethnic groups predominantly Kurdish, Assiries an Arabs. The Christians o the ceety mainly conseest o Assiries/Siriacs an Armenies. The ceety wis foondit bi Assiries fleein Seyfo in modren Turkey. The day Kurds, Assiries, Arabs an Armenies (aboot 8,500 form which 2,000 are Armenie Catholics Ծննդավայրս՝ Գամիշլի կամ Եղէգնուտ ) live side bi side in the ceety.

Qamishli wis hame tae a significant Jewish commonty an aw. In the 1930s the Jewish population o Al Qamishli numbered 3,000. Syne 1947, the situation o the Jews o Qamishli deterioratit. Aw Jews employed in govrenment offices wur sackt. Mony Jewish weemen wur impreesoned an beaten wi the appruival o the authorities. Massive immigration o Jews frae Sirie peakit due tae violence, sic as Aleppo pogrom. Bi 1963, the commonty haed dwindled tae 800 persons, an efter the Sax-Day War it went doun further tae 150.

History
Qamishli is situatit at the base o the Taurus Muntains, locatit near the aurie o auncient Hurrian ceety o Urkesh which wis foondit durin the fowert millennium BC.

The modren ceety wis foondit in 1926 as a railwa station on the Taurus railwa."Al-Qamishli" - Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006.

Qamishli is the lairgest toun in Al-Hasakah province an it is regardit as the secret caipital o the Kurds, the Assiries/Siriacs claim it tae be thair commonty caipital an aw. It is the centre o the Sirie Kurdish problem.

In Mairch 2004, durin a chaotic soccer match, a riot stairtit when some fowk stairtit raisin separatist Kurdish flags, hailin Barzani an Talabani an US Preses George W. Bush, turnin the match intae poleetical conflict. The riot expanded oot o the stadium an wappens wur uised against polis an civilians o nan-Kurdish backgrund. In the eftermath, at least 30 Kurds wur killed as the security services re-teuk the ceety. The event became kent as "Qamishli massacre".

In Juin 2005, thoosans o Kurds demonstratit in Qamishli tae protest the assassination o Sheikh Khaznawi, a Kurdish cleric in Sirie, resultin in the daith o ane polisman an injury tae fower Kurds. In Mairch 2008, accordin tae Human Rights Watch,Syria: Investigate Killing of Kurds - Human Rights Watch Sirie security forces opened fire at Kurds celebratin spring festival o Newroz an gatherin for revivin the 2004 riot in Qamishli. The shuitin left three fowk deid.

The ceety is renowned for throwin a lairge Christenmas parade ivery year in December, an celebratin Newroz festival bi a lairge croud ivery year in Mairch.

Climate

Petroleum
Al Qamishli haes recently experiencit an economic buim due tae the sploration o petroleum in the Qarah Shuk region 80 km east o Qamishli.

Transportation
It haes an internaitional airport, Kamishly Airport, wi IATA code KAC.

Chemins de Fer Syriens (the Sirie railwey company) operates a fricht an passenger railwa service tae ither pairts o Sirie.

See an aw
 Kurds in Sirie
 Assiries an Syriacs in Sirie

Notes

Freemit airtins
 Kurds in Qamishli

*
Category:Assirie settlements
Category:Armenie diaspora commonties
Category:Populatit places in Al-Hasakah Govrenorate
Category:Sirie–Turkey border crossins