Back Къунетрэ ADY القنيطرة (سوريا) Arabic قنیطره ARZ Quneytra Azerbaijani قنیطره (سوریه) AZB Quneitra Catalan Al Qunayţirah (kapital sa lalawigan sa Sirya) CEB قونەیترە CKB Kunejtra Czech Al-Qunaytirah (by) Danish

Quneitra

This article is about a city in Syria. For the city in Morocco, see Kenitra. For the city in Egypt, see El-Qantarah el-Sharqiyya.

Quneitra
ٱلْقُنَيطْرَة
View of the destroyed city
View of the destroyed city
Quneitra is located in Syria
Quneitra
Quneitra
Location of Quneitra within Syria
Quneitra is located in the Golan Heights
Quneitra
Quneitra
Location of Quneitra within Golan Heights, Syria
Coordinates: 33°07′N 35°49′E / 33.117°N 35.817°E / 33.117; 35.817
Country Syria
GovernorateQuneitra
DistrictQuneitra
SubdistrictQuneitra
RegionGolan Heights
Settledaround 1000 CE
Resettled1873
Destroyed1974
Government
 • GovernorTony Aziz Hanna[1]
Elevation
[2]
1,010 m (3,313 ft)
Population
 (2004 census[3])
 • City
153
 • Metro
4,318
Demonym(s)Arabic: قنيطراوي, Qunayṭrawi or Qunayṭirawi
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code43
WebsiteeQunaytra

Quneitra (also Al Qunaytirah, Qunaitira, or Kuneitra; Arabic: ٱلْقُنَيْطِرَة or ٱلْقُنَيطْرَة, al-Qunayṭrah or al-Qunayṭirah pronounced [æl qʊˈneɪ̯tˁ(ɨ)rɑ]) is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in south-western Syria. It is situated in a high valley in the Golan Heights at 1,010 metres (3,313 feet)[2] above sea level. Since 1974, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 350 and the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, the city is inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

Quneitra was founded in the Ottoman era as a way station on the caravan route to Damascus and subsequently became a garrison town of some 20,000 people. In 1946, it became part of the independent Syrian Republic within the Riff Dimashq Governorate and in 1964 became the capital of the split Quneitra Governorate.[4] On 10 June 1967, the last day of the Six-Day War, Quneitra came under Israeli control.[5] It was briefly recaptured by Syria during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but Israel regained control in its subsequent counter-offensive. The city was almost completely destroyed by Israel before it withdrew in June 1974. Syria later refused to rebuild the city and actively discouraged resettlement in the area. Israel was heavily criticized by the United Nations for the city's destruction,[6] while Israel has also criticized Syria for not rebuilding Quneitra.[7]

In 2004, its population was estimated at 153 persons, with some 4,000 more living in the surrounding areas of the former city.

During the Syrian Civil War, Quneitra became a clash point between rebel forces and Syrian Arab Army. Between 2014 and July 2018,[8] Quneitra was de facto controlled by the Southern Front, a Syrian rebel alliance. By the end of July 2018, Syrian Government forces regained control over the city.[9][10]

  1. ^ "الرئيس الأسد يصدر مَراسيم بتعيين محافظين جدد لخمس محافظات" [President Al-Assad issues decrees appointing new governors for five governorates]. SANA. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bromiley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Quneitra city population Archived 2013-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Syria Provinces". www.statoids.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  5. ^ On 10 June, Israeli authorities utilized a postmark, in Arabic, English and Hebrew, for mail sent from Quneitra. Livni, Israel. Encyclopedia of Israel Stamps. Tel Aviv: Sifriyat Ma'arit, 1969. p.195
  6. ^ "Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories Archived 2011-01-03 at the Wayback Machine", United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3240, 29 November 1974, A/RES/3240, unispal .
  7. ^ Abraham Rabinovich. The Yom Kippur War, 492. Knopf Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN 0-8052-1124-1
  8. ^ "Syrian rebels break uneasy peace in Golan Heights - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference syriahr2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reuter2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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