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Mayadin ٱلْمِيَادِين
Town
MayadinLocation in Syria
Coordinates: 35°1′6″N 40°27′12″E / 35.01833°N 40.45333°E / 35.01833; 40.45333
Country	Syria
Governorate	Deir ez-Zor
District	Mayadin
Subdistrict	Mayadin
Control	Syrian transitional government
Elevation	195 m (640 ft)
Population
• Total	44,028
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EET)
Climate	BWh

Mayadin (Arabic: ٱلْمِيَادِين/ALA-LC: al-Miyādīn) is a town in eastern Syria. It is the capital of the Mayadin District, part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. Mayadin is about 44 kilometers southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The Euphrates River flows through the town. In the 2004 census, the population was 44,028, making it the second most populous town in the governorate.

History

Ancient era

Mayadin has been identified to be the ancient Audattha known to Ptolemy, though some suggest Audattha was where Haditha now stands in Iraq.

Middle Ages

Mayadin is the successor of the medieval town and fortress of Rahbat Malik ibn Tawk, founded by the Abbasid lord and the original town's namesake, Malik ibn Tawk. Strategically located at a crossroads on the western bank of the Euphrates and considered the key to Syria from Iraq, control of the town was highly contested by the Muslim powers and Bedouin tribes of the region. It grew to become one of the major Muslim towns of the Euphrates valley and was an administrative center.

An earthquake destroyed Rahbat Malik ibn Tawk in 1157, after which it was granted by the Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din to Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, the paternal uncle of future Ayyubid sultan, Saladin. Shirkuh relocated the fortress about four kilometers southwest of the original site. The new settlement, known as "al-Rahba al-Jadida", remained the significant center of the Euphrates region through much of the Ayyubid–Mamluk era (12th–15th centuries), and today is a ruined fortress known as "Qal'at al-Rahba". The original settlement eventually became known as "Mashhad Rahba". The latter was located at the present site of Mayadin.

Modern era

In the early 20th century, Mayadin was the administrative seat of the Asharah kaza (subdistrict) of the Sanjak of Zor district and contained the residence of its qaimmaqam (governor). In a British military intelligence report from the 1900s, the town had a population of 2,000 mostly Sunni Muslims and a small minority of Christians. There was a bazaar, several shops and a mosque with a leaning minaret. According to Czech explorer Alois Musil, who visited in 1912, Mayadin had a garrison of twelve gendarmes, ten policemen and ten mule riders. There was a boys' primary school in the town. The population was about 2,500, consisting of roughly four hundred Muslim families, fifteen Syriac Orthodox families (mostly refugees from Mardin), and three Jewish families, living in a total of 380 houses. On June 19, 1947, Pan Am Flight 121, crewed by third officer Gene Roddenberry (who went on to create the original Star Trek television series), crashed 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town.

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian Civil War, Free Syrian Army captured the town in late August 2012 after fighting in the town. The only part still in regime hands was the Mayadin military base, an artillery position on a hill overlooking the town, which was captured on 22 November. This gave the rebels control of a large amount of territory east of the base to the Iraqi border. On 3 July 2014, ISIL captured Mayadin after ousting the FSA and raised their black standard. A local underground resistance movement of Sunni Muslim fighters attacked ISIL checkpoints in the city in 2015. This forced ISIL to dig a 15 km (9 mi) defensive position around the city.

On 3 April 2017, during the SDF's offensive to capture Raqqa, it was reported that ISIL was possibly in the process of moving its capital from Raqqa city to Mayadin. This followed months of gradual relocation of resources and senior ISIL leaders from Raqqa to Mayadin. On 21 April 2017, the United States announced that they had conducted a ground raid in Mayadin and killed Abdulrakhman Uzbeki, an ISIS leader.

On 18 June 2017, Iran hit ISIL targets in Mayadin using domestic-based surface-to-surface mid-range missiles.

By the 10 October 2017, the town was besieged by the SAA and fighting had begun in the suburbs in preparation to storm the town.

On 11 October 2017, the Syrian Army made huge advances inside the town of Mayadin and has taken control of about 60 percent of the town.

On 14 October 2017, the Syrian Army retook the town thus ending the 4 year long ISIL rule over it.

In June 2018, ISIL unsuccessfully attempted to retake the town.

Sport

There is a football club in the city called Al-Mayadin SC, which plays the second highest competition in Syria.

Climate

Mayadin has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh).

References

1. "General Census of Population 2004" (XLS). HumanitarianResponse.info. UN OCHA. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
2. Boulanger, Robert (1966). The Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran. Hachette. p. 490. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
3. Sale, George; Psalmanazar, George; Bower, Archibald; Shelvocke, George; Campbell, John; Swinton, John (1748). An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time. T. Osborne. p. 348.
4. Bianquis 1995, p. 393.
5. ^ Bianquis 1995, p. 395.
6. ^ Bianquis 1995, p. 394.
7. ^ Musil, Alois (1927). The Middle Euphrates: A Topographical Itinerary (PDF). New York: American Geographical Society. p. 6.
8. ^ A Handbook of Mesopotamia, Volume III: Central Mesopotamia with Southern Kurdistan and the Syrian Desert. Admiralty and War Office, Division of Intelligence. January 1917. p. 124.
9. Mroue, Bassem (August 24, 2012). "Regime airstrike targets Syrian apartments". Newsday.
10. Yeranian, Edward (22 November 2012). "Analysts Weigh In on Longevity of Syria's Assad". Voice of America. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
11. "IS Takes Over Towns, Countryside in Oil-Rich Syria Province: NGO". NDTV.com. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
12. "Gunmen kill more than 12 ISIL militants in eastern Syria". Today's Zaman. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015.
13. "After repeated attacks launched by unknown gunmen, IS digs a trench around the city of Mayadin". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
14. Speckhard, Anne; Almohammad, Asaad H. (3 April 2017). "Is ISIS Moving its Capital from Raqqa to Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor?". Modern Diplomacy. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
15. Daniez, Clément (30 June 2017). "Mayadin, nouvelle et probablement ultime capitale de l'Etat islamique". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 28 July 2022.
16. "Why Iran Targets ISIS Positions in Syria's Deir Ezzor? - Iran's View | Iran's View".
17. "موقع مراسلون | الرئيسية".
18. Breaking: ISIS almost driven-out of capital city by elite Syrian forces
19. El Ejército sirio toma la ciudad de Al Mayadín, uno de los últimos reductos del Estado Islámico en Siria
20. El Ejército sirio toma la ciudad de Al Mayadín, uno de los últimos reductos del Estado Islámico en Siria
21. Breaking: Syrian Army liberates ISIS capital city
22. "إدارة نادي الميادين تشكل الكوادر الفنية لفرق كرة القدم" (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 October 2017.

Bibliography

• Bianquis, Thierry (1995). "Al-Raḥba". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W. P. & Lecomte, G. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume VIII: Ned–Sam. Leiden: E. J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-09834-3.

v t e Cities and towns of Syria
Governorate centres	Aleppo Damascus Daraa Deir ez-Zor Hama al-Hasakah Homs Idlib Latakia Quneitra Raqqa Rif Dimashq Suwayda Tartus
District centres	Abu Kamal Afrin Ariha Atarib Ayn al-Arab Azaz al-Bab Baniyas Darayya Dayr Hafir Douma Duraykish Fiq al-Haffah Harem Izra' Jableh Jarabulus Jisr ash-Shughur Maarat al-Numaan al-Malikiyah Manbij Masyaf Mayadin Mhardeh al-Mukharram al-Foqani an-Nabk Palmyra Qamishli Qardaha Qatana Qudsaya al-Qusayr al-Qutayfah Ra's al-'Ayn al-Rastan as-Safira Safita Salamiyah Salkhad al-Sanamayn Shahba ash-Shaykh Badr al-Suqaylabiyah Talkalakh al-Tall Tell Abyad al-Thawrah Yabroud Zabadani
Sub-district centres	Abu Qilqil Abu al-Thuhur Akhtarin Amuda Arbeen Arima al-Ariqah al-Arishah Armanaz Arwad al-Asharah Assal al-Ward Awj Ayn al-Fijah Ayn Halaqim Ayn Issa Ayn al-Nasr Babbila Banan Barri Sharqi Beit Jinn Binnish Bir al-Helou Bosra Bulbul Busayrah Da'el al-Dana Darat Izza Darkush al-Darbasiyah Deir Atiyah al-Dimas al-Dumayr Furqlus Ghabaghib Ghandoura al-Ghariyah al-Ghizlaniyah al-Hader Hadidah al-Hajar al-Aswad al-Hajib Hajin al-Hamidiyah al-Hamraa Harasta Harbnafsah Harran al-Awamid al-Hirak Hish Hisyah al-Hawl Huraytan al-Huwash Ibbin Samaan Ihsim Jayrud al-Jalaa al-Janudiyah Jaramana al-Jarniyah Jasim al-Jawadiyah Jubb al-Jarrah Jubb Ramlah Jindires al-Jiza al-Qabu Kafr Batna Kafr Nabl Kafr Takharim Kafr Zita al-Karamah al-Kasrah Kessab al-Khafsah Khan Shaykhun Khasham Kirnaz Kuwayris Sharqi Khanaser Khirbet Ghazaleh Khirbet al-Tin Mahmoud al-Kiswah Ma'arrat Misrin Maabatli Maadan Maaloula Madaya Mahin Malah al-Malihah al-Mansurah Mare' Markada Mashta al-Helu Maskanah al-Masmiyah al-Mazraa Muhambal Muhasan al-Musayfirah al-Mushannaf Muzayrib al-Nashabiyah al-Nasirah Nawa Nubl al-Qadmus al-Qahtaniyah Qalaat al-Madiq Qarah al-Qaryatayn al-Qurayya Qurqania Rajo Rankus Rasm Harmil al-Imam al-Rai al-Riqama al-Ruhaybah al-Saan Saasaa Sabburah al-Sabe' Biyar al-Sabkhah Sadad Sahnaya Saidnaya Salqin Saraqib Sarmin Sarrin Sawran Sebei al-Shaddadah al-Shajara Shaqqa Sharran Shathah Shaykh al-Hadid al-Shaykh Maskin Shayukh Tahtani Shin Sinjar Sirghaya Slinfah Suluk al-Surah al-Saghirah al-Suwar Suran al-Susah al-Sukhnah al-Tabni Talbiseh Taldou al-Tamanah Tasil Tell al-Daman Tell Hamis Tell Rifaat Tell Salhab Tell Tamer Tedef Thiban Uqayribat Urum al-Kubra Wadi al-Oyun al-Yaarubiyah al-Zirbah az-Ziyarah

v t e Deir ez-Zor Governorate
Capital: Deir ez-Zor
	Deir ez-Zor District Deir ez-Zor al-Abed Abu Khashab al-Ali Ayyash Barihah al-Bughayliyah al-Busayrah al-Dahlah al-Hajnah al-Hariji al-Harijiyah al-Harmushiyah Hatla Hawayij Bumasaa al-Jafrah Jarwan Jazrat al-Buhamid Jazrat Milaj al-Kasrah al-Kharitah Khasham al-Ji'ah Judaydat Bakkarah Judaydat Akaidat Maadan Atiq al-Maaishiyah Marat al-Masrab al-Muhasan Muhaymidah al-Murayiyah al-Muwaylih al-Qasbi Qitaat al-Bulil Ruwayshid al-Saawah al-Sabhah Safirah Fawqani Safirah Tahtani al-Shate' al-Shuhayl al-Shumaytiyah al-Suwar al-Tabni al-Tarif al-Tub Zaghir Jazirah Zaghir Shamiyah al-Zir
	Abu Kamal District Abu Kamal al-Abbas Abu Hamam al-Baghuz Fawqani al-Bahrah al-Bubadran Gharanij al-Ghbrah Hajin al-Hara Hasrat al-Jalaa al-Kishkiyah al-Marashidah Muaiyzila al-Qitaa al-Ramadi al-Salihiyah al-Sayyal al-Shaafah al-Sukkariya al-Susah al-Suwayiyah al-Tawtahiyah
	Mayadin District Mayadin al-Asharah Abu Hardub Dablan Diban al-Duwayr Baqras Fawqani Baqras Tahtani Darnaj Gharibah al-Hawayij Hawi Thiban al-Jurthah al-Sharqi al-Karamah al-Kishmah Mahkan al-Quriyah al-Raghib Saalo Sabikhan Suwaydan Jazirah al-Tayanah al-Taybah Tishrin al-Zabara

• Cities in Syria
• Populated places on the Euphrates River
• Populated places in Mayadin District