Al-Musayfirah

Al-Musayfirah المسيفرة
Town
Al-Musayfirah
Al-Musayfirah
Coordinates: 32°37′56″N 36°20′19″E / 32.63222°N 36.33861°E / 32.63222; 36.33861
Grid position	276/227 PAL
Country	Syria
Governorate	Daraa
District	Daraa
Subdistrict	Al-Musayfirah
Elevation	550 m (1,800 ft)
Population  (2004)[1]
• Total	10,466
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Al-Musayfirah (Arabic: المسيفرة, also spelled Mseifreh or Musayfra) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located east of Daraa and 37 kilometers southeast of Damascus. Nearby localities include Kahil to the southwest, al-Jiza to the south, al-Sahwah to the southeast, 'Ara to the east, Umm Walad to the northeast, al-Karak to the north, al-Ghariyah al-Sharqiyah to the northwest and Saida to the west. Al-Musayfirah has an area of 705 hectares.^[2] According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Musayfirah had a population of 10,466 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the al-Musayfirah nahiyah ("subdistrict") which consisted of four localities with a collective population of 32,473 in 2004.^[1] In recent times its population was estimated to be about 13,600 in 2009.^[2] Its largest family is the al-Zu'bi (al-Zoubi) clan.^[3]

Al-Musayfirah served as the center of the al-Qadiriyyah Sufi order during the Ottoman and French eras. The town is well known for being the site of a major battle between the French Army and Druze rebels during the Great Syrian Revolt in September 1925. Most of its inhabitants had been forced out or killed by French forces before and during that battle.

The town is largely dependent on money sent from expatriate residents working in the Persian Gulf States. Expatriate funds have largely been responsible for the establishment of several public places in the town, namely the Civil Affairs Center, the Finance Division office, the Red Crescent building, the Real Estate Registration office, the Agricultural Bank, the Health School, the Magistrate's Court, the Insurance Office and the Pharmacy. Agriculture is the major domestic income-producing activity, with olives being the principal crop. Wheat, barley and various vegetables are also cultivated. The climate is generally moderate, with mild winters and hot summers. There are five elementary schools, three primary schools, one technical secondary school and a high school in al-Musayfirah, totaling about 3,800 students in 2010.^[3] The town's residents have experienced casualties, arrests and displacement throughout the ongoing Syrian civil war.