Al-Sarkha (Bakhah)
Al-Sarkha, Bakhʽah or Bakhʽa (Western Neo-Aramaic: ܒܟܥܐ - בכעא, Arabic: الصرخه or بخعة) is a former Syrian village in the Yabroud District of the Rif Dimashq Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Sarkha had a population of 1,405 in the 2004 census. The village, inhabited by Sunni Muslims of Aramean (Syriac) descent, no longer exists as it was completely destroyed during the Syrian Civil War, and all the survivors fled to other parts of Syria or to Lebanon. It was one of the only three remaining villages where Western Neo-Aramaic was spoken, alongside Maaloula and Jubb'adin.
al-Sarkha
ܒܟܥܐ - בכעא الصرخه, بخعة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
al-Sarkha Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 33°53′4″N 36°33′46″E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq Governorate |
| District | Yabroud District |
| Nahiyah | Yabroud |
| Population (2004 census) | |
| • Total | 1,405 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Following their conversion to Islam in the 18th century, the inhabitants of Bakh'a underwent a religious transformation, shifting from being exclusively Christian to entirely Muslim.