Alma, Syria
Town in Daraa, Syria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alma or Elmah (Arabic: علما) is a village in the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate, Syria.[1] According to the 2004 census, the population was estimated at 6,297 people.[1]
Alma
علما Elmah | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Alma | |
| Coordinates: 32°44′N 36°14′E | |
| Grid position | 267/240 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Daraa |
| District | Daraa |
| Subdistrict | Khirbet Ghazaleh |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 6,297 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
It is located near Khirbet Ghazaleh and belongs to a sub-district of a same name.[1]
History
Alma is identified with the ancient Jewish village of Helam or Alema (Greek: Αλαμα), a place in Gilead mentioned in 1 Maccabees.[2][3]
Ottoman era
In the Ottoman tax registers of 1596, it was a village named Alama, located the nahiya of Bani Malik al-Asraf, Qada of Hauran. It had a population of 12 households and 7 bachelors, all Muslims. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 40% on agricultural products, including wheat (6000 akçe), barley (1350), summer crops (650), goats and beehives (50), in addition to occasional revenues (10); a total of 8,060 akçe. 1/3 of the revenue went to a waqf.[4]
In 1838, its inhabitants were again noted as being Muslim, located south of Al-Shaykh Maskin.[5]
