Salamiyah

Salamieh (or Salamiyah)
سلمية
View of Salamieh
View of Salamieh
Nickname: 
The mother of Cairo
Salamieh (or Salamiyah) is located in Syria
Salamieh (or Salamiyah)
Salamieh (or Salamiyah)
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°0′42.48″N 37°3′9″E / 35.0118000°N 37.05250°E / 35.0118000; 37.05250
Country Syria
GovernorateHama
DistrictSalamiyah
SubdistrictSalamiyah
Settled3500 BCE
Elevation
475 m (1,558 ft)
Population
 (2004 census)
 • Total66,724
 • Ethnicities
Arab
 • Religions
Ismailis and Alawites
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code33
A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995)

Salamiyah or Salamieh (Arabic: سلمية Salamieh) is a city and district in western Syria, in the Hama Governorate. It is located 33 kilometres (21 miles) southeast of Hama, 45 kilometres (28 miles) northeast of Homs. The city is nicknamed the "mother of Cairo" because it was the birthplace of the second Fatimid caliph al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, whose dynasty would eventually establish the city of Cairo, and the early headquarters of his father Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah who founded the Fatimid Caliphate. The city is an important center of the Shi'ite Nizari Isma'ili and Taiyabi Isma'ili Islamic schools and also the birthplace of influential poet Muhammad al-Maghut. The population of the city is 66,724 (2004 census).[1]