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18-592: It is the capital of Suwayda Governorate , one of Syria's 14 governorates , bordering Jordan in the South and Daraa Governorate in the West and Rif Dimashq Governorate in the north and east. The city is referred to by some as "Little Venezuela" due to the city's influx of affluent Venezuelan Syrian immigrants. The city was founded by the Nabataeans as Suada . It became known as Dionysias Soada ( Ancient Greek : Διονῡσιάς ) in

36-686: A suffragan bishop from Bosra . It was mentioned in the Synecdemus of Hierocles . After the early Muslim conquests , the city was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate of the Arabs in 629 and became a titular see . Yaqut al-Hamawi noted in the 1220s that As Suwaida was "a village of the Hauran Province". In 1516, the city and the adjoining region was conquered from the Mamluk Sultanate by

54-451: A campaign of mass arrests in the city. On July 25, 2018, the city was rocked by a string of terrorist attacks. A group of at least 56 ISIS -affiliated attackers entered the city and initiated a series of gunfights and suicide bombings killing 246 people, the vast majority of them civilians. Many of the terrorists were reported killed during the attack, bringing the total death toll to at least 302 people. Forty-two Druze residents between

72-665: A degree in civil engineering from the University of Aleppo . After graduating from university, Arnous worked with the Idlib Engineering Syndicate. From 1992 to 2002, he managed the General Company for Roads and Bridges. In 2004, Arnous was selected to serve as executive director of the General Establishment for Road Transport. He then served as governor of Deir ez-Zor and Quneitra governorates. In 2014, Arnous

90-521: A small Muslim refugee community from mainly Daraa Governorate as well as other parts of Syria. In the 1980s Druze made up 87.6% of the population, Christians (mostly Greek Orthodox ) 11% and Sunni Muslims 2%. In 2010, the As-Suwayda governorate has a population of about 375,000 inhabitants, Druze made up 90%, Christians 7% and Sunni Muslims 3%. Due to low birth and high emigration rates , Christians proportion in As-Suwayda had declined. Most of

108-538: A total of 6,125 akçe . 3/4 of the revenue went to a waqf . In recent times Dionysias was identified as Suwayda by William Waddington . In the 19th century, visitors recorded the now-destroyed Tomb of Hamrath , an elaborate late Hellenistic mausoleum dating from the 1st century BCE. The city has been held by the Syrian government for the duration of the Syrian Civil War . On 28 October 2012, security forces launched

126-454: Is a Syrian politician who served as prime minister of Syria from 11 June 2020 to 14 September 2024. Arnous's appointment was announced by state media shortly after it was reported that President Bashar al-Assad had fired previous prime minister Imad Khamis amid a worsening economic crisis. Arnous was born in the village of Al-Tah in the Ma'arrat al-Nu'man District , Idlib . In 1978, he earned

144-536: Is home to numerous archaeological sites. This governorate is unique in Syria as it has a Druze majority. Additionally, it has integrated Christian communities that have long coexisted harmoniously with the Druze in these mountain. The governorate has a population of about 375,000 inhabitants (est. 2011). It is the only governorate in Syria that has a Druze majority. There is also a sizable Eastern Orthodox minority, and

162-409: Is more rainfall in the winter than in the summer. This location is classified as BSk by Köppen and Geiger . The average temperature is 15.5 °C. About 323 mm of precipitation falls annually. Suwayda Governorate As-Suwayda or Al-Suwayda Governorate ( Arabic : مُحافظة السويداء / ALA-LC : Muḥāfaẓat as-Suwaydā’ ) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria . It

180-493: Is the southernmost governorate, covering an area of 5,550 km², and is part of the historic Hawran region. The capital and largest city of the governorate is al-Suwayda . Geographically the governorate comprises almost all of Jabal al-Druze , the eastern part of Lejah , and a part of the arid eastern steppe of Harrat al-Shamah . Most inhabitants of As-Suwayda are employed in agriculture, cultivating crops such as grapes, apples, olives, and wheat. Additionally, As-Suwayda

198-607: The Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire , for the god Dionysus , patron of wine - the city is situated in a famous ancient wine-producing region. The name Dionysias replaced the former Nabataean name in 149 AD after Nabataean influence decreased and then concentrated towards the south, as a result of the then accelerating Hellenization of Coele-Syria . Dionysias was a part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea , and received

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216-597: The Ottoman Empire . In 1596 Suwayda appeared under the name of Majdal Sawda in the Ottoman tax registers as part of the nahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Nasiyya of the Hauran Sanjak . It had a population of 5 households and 5 bachelors, all Muslim . The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 20% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues";

234-532: The ages of 7 and 60 were kidnapped by ISIS and held captive. One was executed bringing the total in captivity to 41. On 7 June 2020, anti-government protests erupted in the city due to the deteriorating economic situation. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since 2015. As a result of the protests, Prime Minister Imad Khamis was sacked on 11 June and replaced by Hussein Arnous . In February, hundreds of protesters took to

252-605: The inhabitants live in the western parts of the governorate, especially on the western slopes of Jabal ad-Duruz. Only nomadic Bedouin tribes live in the barren region of Harrat al-Shamah. The governorate is divided into three districts ( manatiq ). The districts are further divided into 12 sub-districts ( nawahi ): The governorate contains 3 cities, 124 towns/villages, and 36 hamlets. Hussein Arnous Hussein Arnous ( Arabic : حسين عرنوس ‎ , romanized :  Huseyn Arnûs ; born 1953)

270-464: The old part of the city: The city has many ancient reservoirs, towers and old Roman houses that are still inhabited by locals today. Many parts of the old city still await excavation, such as the Roman aqueduct , a conical reservoir, and a larger Roman theatre . There is also an old 7th century mosque built during the time of the Rashidun Caliphate . Suwayda's climate is warm, dry and temperate. There

288-580: The rights of civitas during the reign of Commodus between 180 and 185. Dionysus was worshipped in the same Nabatean temple dedicated to Dushara . This practice of associating the worship of local and Hellenic gods was common in Hellenistic Syria. This name remained in use during the Byzantine Empire , when the town was under the influence of the Ghassanids . Dionysias then was a diocese with

306-504: The streets in Sweida to decry corruption and worsening living standards. In August, thousands of protestors took to the streets to decry worsening economic conditions and demanding the departure of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The inhabitants of the city are mainly Druze with a Greek Orthodox Christian and Sunni Muslim minority. The population of Suwayda Governorate is 313,231 (2004 census). Many archeological sites can be found in

324-481: Was included on a list of Syrian government ministers barred from entering the United States or European Union . Arnous served as Minister of Public Works and Housing from 2013 until 2018 and as Minister of Water Resources since 26 November 2018. Arnous was confirmed by President Assad to be the prime minister of a new government on 30 August 2020. He took the oath of office three days later. He formed

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