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Abu Kamal أبو كمال
The Euphrates river seen from Abu Kamal
Abu Kamal Location in Syria
Coordinates: 34°27′13″N 40°56′12″E / 34.45361°N 40.93667°E / 34.45361; 40.93667
Country	Syria
Governorate	Deir ez-Zor Governorate
District	Abu Kamal District
Elevation	175 m (574 ft)
Population (2008 est)
- Total	66,589
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Abu Kamal (Arabic: أبو كمال‎) is a city in eastern Syria on the Euphrates River near the border with Iraq. The Euphrates divides Abu Kamal into two areas: Shamiyya (belonging to the Levant) and Jazira (belonging to Mesopotamia) Al-Jazira, a plains region consisting of northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq, quite distinct from the Syrian Desert and lower-lying central Mesopotamia. Abu Kamal is an economically-prosperous farming region with cattle-breeding, cereals, and cotton crops. It is also home to the historical site Dura-Europos and the ancient kingdom of Mari.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 American Attack 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Etymology

During the Ottoman time, Abu Kamal was called qashla, which is a Turkish word for "military base". This name "Qashla" is still used by some inhabitants of the area, especially by elderly villagers.^{[citation needed]} The current name means "the father of Kamal" but, if pronounced as "Al bu Kamal" (Arabic: آل بو كمال), it means "the family of Kamal", Kamal being the tribe that lives there.

[edit] History

During Roman times Abu Kamal was, as part of Mesopotamia, an important trading post between the Roman Empire and India. Conquered by Zenobia, it became part of the kingdom of Palmyra.

During the early Islamic Empire, the administration of Jazira was often shared with that of Armenia. At the time of Mu'awiyah (governor of Syria and the later founder of the Umayyad Caliphate), the administration of al-Jazira was included in the administration of Syria.

In the 17th century, Abukamal or Ebukemal was the seat of an Ottoman sanjak in the vilayet of Ar Ruha, modern Sanliurfa.

France occupied Abu Kamal together with Dair Azzour in 1921 and made it the seat of a large garrison. In 1946 it became part of independent Syria. The region's position at the border of Syria and Iraq, especially after the US invasion of Iraq, has made it an important commercial as well as political center.

[edit] American Attack

On Monday, 27 October 2008, four US helicopters carried out a raid on the village of Sukkariyeh in Abu Kamal. It was the first known raid inside Syria by the US. News reports indicate that at least seven people were killed, four of them children.^[1][2][3] Abu Kamal is located near to Qaim, a crossing point for the Iraqi insurgency and the location of Operation Steel Curtain in November, 2005. The Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that "Killing civilians in international law means a terrorist aggression." ^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Abu Kamal (Arabic)

Gallery of Abu Kamal

Dura-Europos

A Bedouin tent

Sunset on the Euphrates

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