Tabqa

Etymology

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the city has officially reverted to its original name, Tabqa. The name literally means "the layer" or "the stratum" in Arabic, and likely refers to the geographic or topographic features of the area, such as stepped terrain or layered rock formations along the Euphrates, where the city and dam are located.

Following the Ba'athist March 8th Revolution in 1963, on 8 March 1967 the city was renamed al-Thawrah (), meaning The Revolution, in honor of the 1963 Syrian coup d'état and the Ba'athist ideological vision.

History

Syrian civil war

On 26 November 2012, during the Syrian civil war, a main route from Raqqa to Aleppo passing through Tabqa along the Euphrates was dotted with both government and Syrian rebel checkpoints. On 11 February 2013, Syrian opposition rebel groups including the jihadist al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Liwa Owais al-Qorani took over the city. On 21 November, there was fierce fighting between government troops and rebels in the town, but by 25 November, the rebels were back in control.

In January 2014, The Islamic State took control of the city. During ISIL rule, the town's Catholic, Antiochian Orthodox Church and Assyrian Church of the East churches were turned into a parking garage, a weapons factory and a barn, with ISIL militants destroying all Christian symbols on the three churches. The Shia Al Zahraa' Mosque was destroyed and an Ismaili place of worship was turned into a children's training centre. In addition, high ranking IS members would reside in the city, to escape the bombardments on its capital Raqqa.

On 22 March 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces began the Battle of Tabqa to retake the city, as the international coalition assisted by conducting airstrikes. SOHR reported that the airstrikes killed or injured more than 40 people, while the BBC reported 27 killed and 40 wounded. On May 10, 2017, the SDF successfully recaptured the city, during which an estimated 40% of the buildings were either damaged or destroyed.

In early January 2026, the Syrian transitional government launched the 2026 northeastern Syria offensive to take control of territories under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). In the early morning of 18 January 2026, the Syrian Armed Forces announced the capture of Tabqa from the SDF, who had held the city since 2017.

Demographics

Prior to the Syrian civil war, the majority of the city's inhabitants were Sunni Arabs, with Kurdish, Armenian, Assyrian as well as Ismaili and Shiite Arab minorities. The Assyrian minority consisted of around 1,000 people, with about half belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East, originating from the Khabour River villages, and the other half being Syriac Orthodox Christians, along with a few Chaldean Catholic, Syriac Catholic and Protestant families. But now the Christians have left and very few returned after the SDF conquered the city.

Geography

The Tabqa Dam and Euphrates Lake on the Euphrates river, an important energy source for Syria, are near the town.

Climate

|access-date = September 23, 2018

Notes

References

1. [http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-3486032&fid=5996&c=syria "At Tabqah: Syria "] Geographical Names
2. Al-Jeloo, Dr. Nicholas. (2 August 2013). "Stranded: the Forgotten Assyrians of Al-Thawrah, Syria".
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20200124185441/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB11-8-2004.htm Al-Thawrah population]
4. https://mesopotamia.coop/cities/tabqa/
5. (June 2021). "Beyond Rojava: North and East Syria's Arab Regions".
6. (November 26, 2012). "Syria rebels seize dam". AAP.
7. "Rebels take control of military airport in North Syria, NGO says". Now.mmedia.me.
8. (21 November 2013). "Fierce Syria clashes on Lebanese border force government to launch tighter border policies". [[Al Bawaba]].
9. Diaa Hadid. (5 January 2014). "Syrian rebels battle Al-Qaeda-linked fighters". The Daily Star.
10. "IS eliminated all Shiites, Christians and Ismailis belongings | ANHA".
11. (March 22, 2017). "More than 40 casualties, wounded and missing in a new massacre carried out by international coalition’s warplanes in Tabaqa city". syriahr.com.
12. (March 22, 2017). "IS conflict: US airlift backs new assault near Raqqa stronghold". bbc.co.uk.
13. "US-backed Syrian forces 'fully capture' Tabqa from ISIL". Al Jazeera.
14. (10 May 2017). "US-backed forces seize Syria's Tabqa, dam from ISIS". Al Arabiya.
15. "Syrian army moves into Al-Tabqa after PKK retreat".
16. "Syrian army takes control of Tabqa city, Euphrates Dam: Report".
17. "IS Eliminated All Shiites, Christians and Ismailis Belongings".
18. (2 August 2013). "Stranded: the Forgotten Assyrians of Al-Tharwah, Syria".
19. (June 6, 2023). "Will Raqqa’s church bells ring again?". Syria Direct.
20. Fergus, Kelly. (2017-09-12). "Tabqa Schools Reopen for Syrian Children Despite Ongoing War".