Abstract:

Ja’bar, is an ancient settlement on the banks of the Euphrates River and in the North of Syria. It’s famous for its castle which sits on a hilltop. In the times of Ayyubid Dynasty , it was turned into a center in order to defend al-Jazeera territory by Saladin’s brother al-Adil. Meanwhile it was plundered twice by Khwarazmian Dynasty. Until the Mongols captured the region, it had maintained its characteristics of being one of the fortified and frequented place. However, after the Mongol invasion, it began to dim. During the reign of the Mamluks, it was organized as one of the centers bounded to borough of Halep Regency. Before his reign of Akkoyunlu Uzun Hasan, he struggled with the Arab tribes in order to ensure the control around Ja’bar and at that time, he used the Castle as the epicenter. It was the area in which Doger and Arab tribes settled when Ottomans came to this region. During the XVII. Century, Ottomans tried to have tribes settled in to ensure peace and security in the region. However, it was not so easy and the disobedience of tribes quite often led to the destruction of the region. In Ja’bar, which is important for the Ottoman history, it was believed that there was the tomb of Suleyman Shah accepted ancestor of Ottoman dynasty. When it became ruin in time, the shrine-shaped tomb was reconstructed by the order of Ottoman sultan Hamid II and it was covered. After World War I, the region, that was occupied by the French, with the Ankara agreement signed in the years of the Independence War was accepted as Turkish territory. In this study, according to the cadastral record book numbered 667, administrative, economic and population status of Ja’bar will be discussed.

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