Deir Ali
Village in Rif Dimashq, Syria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deir Ali (Arabic: دير علي) is a small town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Deir Ali had a population of 4,368 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly members of the Druze community.[2]
Deir Ali
دير علي | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Deir Ali | |
| Coordinates: 33°17′1″N 36°18′9″E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | Markaz Rif Dimashq |
| Subdistrict | al-Kiswah |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 4,368 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
History
The town was historically a village known as Lebaba, and contains the archaeological remains of a Marcionite church. These include an inscription dated to 318 CE, which is the oldest known surviving inscribed reference, anywhere, to Jesus:
- The meeting-house of the Marcionites, in the village of Lebaba, of the Lord and Saviour Jesus the Good -Erected by the forethought of Paul a presbyter, in the year 630 Seleucid era[3] This gained the attention of the First Bible Network (FBN.)[4][non-primary source needed]
In 1838, Eli Smith noted Deir Ali's population as being Druze.[5]
The Arab Gas Pipeline passes through the area and supplies gas to a modern power station (estimated cost 250 million euros) in the town; the pipeline junction at the power station links the power grids of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.[6]