Al-Malikiyah

Al-Malikiyah المالكية Dêrika Hemko
City
North east
Nickname(s): ديريك
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 37°10′N 42°08′E{{#coordinates:37|10|N|42|08|E|type:city(26311)_region:SY|| | |name= }}
Country	Syria
Governorate	Al-Hasakah Governorate
District	Al-Malikiyah District
Nahiyah	Al-Malikiyah
Elevation	Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp
Population (2004 census)
• Total	26,311
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	052

Al-Malikiyah (Arabic: المالكية‎ Al Mālikiyah, Classical Syriac: ܕܪܝܟ, Dayrik, Kurdish: Dêrika Hemko) is a small Syrian city and the center of an administrative district belonging to Al-Hasakah Governorate. The district constitutes the northeastern corner of the country. The town is about 20km west of the Tigris river which defines the triple border between Syria, Turkey and Iraq. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Malikiyah had a population of 26,311 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") consisting of 108 localities with a combined population of 112,000 in 2004. The population enjoys demographic and ethnic diversity that is characteristic of most of Al-Hasakah Governorate. The town is inhabited by Kurds, Assyrians, Arabs and Armenians.

Etymology

The name of the town, "Al-Malikiyah", is named after a Syrian army officer Adnan al-Malki. The original native name is a matter of controversy. The Kurdish name Dêrika stands for tumbleweed which is ubiquitous in the region. The alternative name, "Dayrik", is presented as a Kurdish deformation of the Aramaic word for monastery, "Dayr".

History

The town's indigenous people are Assyrians who trace their ancestry to many Turkish villages in (Tur Abdin) whose inhabitants fled to Syria and established the city after the Assyrian Genocide.

As of 2004, Al-Malikiyah is the fifth largest city in Al-Hasakah governorate.

Demographics

In 2004 the population was 26,311. The population consists mostly of Kurds and Syriacs/Assyrians/Chaldeans in addition to a significant large number of Arabs and a smaller number of Armenians. The northern half of the town is mainly inhabited by Muslim Kurds in the north, and in the south by the Assyrians. As the economic center of the district, the town is usually flocked by people from the surrounding villages and towns, especially during the morning hours. Al-Malikiyah has seen a dramatic urban expansion and real estate development in recent years which led to many streets being extended to new neighborhoods that are now part of the continually growing town.

As of November 2014, only 200 Armenians remain in the city out of a pre-civil war figure of 450.

Gallery

• 

  New Assyrian (Syriac Orthodox) Church on Main street

• 

  New Church dome

• 

  Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic) Church

• 

  Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic) Church and School Building

• 

  Looking east

References

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