Homs Governorate

Homs Governorate (Arabic: مُحافظة حمص‎ / ALA-LC: Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ) is one of the fourteen muhafazat (governorates or provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from 40,940 km² to 42,223 km². It is thus geographically the largest governorate of Syria. Homs Governorate has a population of 1,763,000 (2010 estimate). The Homs governorate is divided into 6 administrative districts (mantiqah). Homs is the capital city of the district of Homs. Its governor is Talal al-Barazi.

A Homs Governorate also formed part of Ottoman Syria, when it was also known as the Sanjak of Homs.

Districts

The governorate is divided into 7 districts (manatiq):

The districts are further divided into 25 sub-districts (nawahi).

See also

References

External links

Homs

Homs (/hɔːms/;Arabic: حمص‎ / ALA-LC: Ḥimṣ), previously known as Emesa (Greek: Ἔμεσα Emesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is 501 metres (1,644 ft) above sea level and is located 162 kilometres (101 mi) north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is also the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast.

Previous to the Syrian war, Homs was a major industrial centre, and with a population of at least 652,609 people in 2004, it was the third largest city in Syria after Aleppo to the north and the capital Damascus to the south. Its population reflects Syria's general religious diversity, composed mostly of Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims and Alawite and Christian minorities. There are a number of historic mosques and churches in the city, and it is close to the Krak des Chevaliers castle, a world heritage site.

Homs did not emerge into the historical record until the 1st century BCE at the time of the Seleucids. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Emesani dynasty who gave the city its name. Originally a center of worship for the sun god El-Gabal, it later gained importance in Christianity under the Byzantines. Homs was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and made capital of a district that bore its current name. Throughout the Islamic era, Muslim dynasties contending for control of Syria sought after Homs due to the city's strategic position in the area. Homs began to decline under the Ottomans and only in the 19th century did the city regain its economic importance when its cotton industry boomed. During French Mandate rule, the city became a center of insurrection and, after independence in 1946, a center of Baathist resistance to the first Syrian governments.

Homs Camp

Homs camp is a Palestinian refugee camp within the city of Homs, Syria and around 160 kilometers (99 mi) north of Damascus. As of 2002, the camp had a population of 13,825 inhabitants.

The camp was established in 1949 following the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on an area of 150,000 square meters. It is adjacent to al-Baath University and most of the refugees are originally from the villages surrounding Haifa and Acre in northern Palestine. Today, the majority of the refugees are wage laborers, local civil servants or street vendors.

According to the UNRWA, poor environmental health is a major concern as it affects the quality of life and poses health risks for the refugees. The sewage system needs to be expanded to cope with the increasing camp population. The schools are old and dilapidated condition, and some have major structural defects. The UNRWA's main priority in the camp is to reconstruct the schools to provide improved educational facilities.