Abu Kamal

Government

Abu Kamal al - Bukamal or (Arabic: أبو كمال, DMG Abū Kamāl, French Abou Kamal, Turkish Ebu Kemal ) is the last town on the Euphrates River in eastern Syria before the border with Iraq.

Location

For Abu Kamal 52 020 inhabitants (estimated 2003) are given. The city is located at about 170 meters altitude in the same district of the province of Deir ez- Zor, on the southern edge of the Syrian al -Jazeera level. Until the Iraqi border crossing there are seven kilometers, the ancient Mari is located nine kilometers north-west.

In the region full- desert climate prevails with less than 120 mm annual rainfall. Thus, agriculture is only possible in an irrigated strip along the Euphrates. Even grazing areas for cattle nomads are scarce.

Economy

The most important source of income in Abu Kamal is the cross-border trade and smuggling.

History

In Roman times, Abu Kamal was an important trading post between the Roman Empire and Asia. From Zenobia conquered, it became part of the Kingdom of Palmyra. In the 17th century the city was, at that time Abukamal or Ebukemal seat of an Ottoman sanjak in the vilayet ar - Ruha, Sanliurfa today.

Between 1881 and 1909 the then village was extended to the city, which grew by immigrants from the Iraqi city Ana. The French occupied Abu Kamal in 1921 and made ​​the city the seat of a garrison. 1932, the place had about 1000 inhabitants, in the early 1940s he had a police station, a post office and a customs office. It was made ​​of stone, after the earlier settlement further east had been destroyed by a flood brick houses and broad streets at right angles scale. 1946 Abu Kamal was part of independent Syria. For 1970 9000 population was estimated.

Policy

After the invasion of Iraq by the United States in the Iraq war in 2003, the city experienced an economic boom first. Since then, the border crossing was closed, the bustling trade remains tense and the political situation. Foreigners who come to the city, visible from the Syrian intelligence with suspicion.

Abu Kamal is located near the Iraqi city of al - Qa'im, which became a transition point for Iraqi insurgents and in November 2005 was the site of Operation Steel Curtain.

During the protests in Syria 2011, the first Friday of demonstrations took place in May in Abu Kamal. The city was then occupied with the use of tanks. In June this subject again. Three weeks later, Abu Kamal was again occupied and find since then, according to reports from the Iraqi population, almost daily battles with use of war weapons instead (as of November 2011).