Qalaat al-Madiq

For the Roman/Byzantine history of Qalaat al-Madiq, see Apamea, Syria.
Qalaat al-Madiq
قلعة المضيق
Kal'at al-Mudik
Town
Arab transcription(s)
 • English"Citadel of Strait"
Skyline of Qalaat al-Madiq town, 2010
Skyline of Qalaat al-Madiq town, 2010
Qalaat al-Madiq is located in Syria
Qalaat al-Madiq
Qalaat al-Madiq
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°25′N 36°23′E / 35.41°N 36.39°E / 35.41; 36.39
Country Syria
GovernorateHama
DistrictAl-Suqaylabiyah
SubdistrictQalaat al-Madiq
Population
 (2004)[1]
 • Total12,925
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)+3

Qalaat al-Madiq (Arabic: قلعة المضيق also spelled Kal'at al-Mudik or Qal'at al-Mudiq; also known as Afamiyya or Famiyyah) is a town and medieval fortress in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northeast of Hama. It is situated in the al-Ghab plain, on the eastern bank of the Orontes River. Nearby localities include the district center al-Suqaylabiyah to the south, Bureij and Karnaz to the southeast, Kafr Nabudah to the east, al-Huwash to the north, Huwayjah al-Sallah and Shathah to the northwest and Al-Tuwayni and Ennab to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Qalaat al-Madiq had a population of 12,925 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and second largest locality in the Qalaat al-Madiq nahiyah ("subdistrict") which consisted of 40 localities with a collective population of 85,597 in 2004.[1] The town's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.[2]

Qalaat al-Madiq is the site of the ancient city of Apamea, the ruins of which are located just east of the town. The modern fortress, after which the town was named, was built during Muslim rule in the 12th century. It is still inhabited by townspeople.[3] The Syrian Armed Forces retook this town from rebels during the May 2019 Hama offensive.[4]

  1. ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004[permanent dead link‍]. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. ^ Holliday, Joseph. The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War. March 2013. p. 21.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference GHF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference castle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).