Raqqa Subdistrict or ar-Raqqah Nahiyah (), a subdistrict of Raqqa District, is the central area of Raqqa Governorate (Syria), including the city of Raqqa and the nearby countryside north of the Euphrates. The subdistrict population at the 2004 census was 338,773, the majority of which living in Raqqa city itself.
The administrative centre is Raqqa. Formerly, much of the subdistrict was controlled by ISIS.
Raqqa Subdistrict is bounded by the Euphrates to the South, Tal Abyad District to the North, and also of Raqqa District: Al-Jarniyah Subdistrict to the West, and Al-Karamah Subdistrict to the East.
Towns and villages
The towns and villages in Raqqa Subdistrict and their populations as at the 2004 census were: Abbara (لعبارة), pop 1305 Abu Kabret Al Rashid (أبو كبرة-الرشيد), pop 686 Abu Rajab (أبو رجب), pop 844 Abu Suseh (أبو سوسة), pop 2561 Adnaniyeh (لعدنانية), pop 1931 Andalus (لأندلس), pop 1000 Raqqa (لرقة), pop 220488 Assadiya (لأسدية), pop 3992 Atshana (لعطشانة), pop 169 Ayuj (لأعيوج), pop 659 Berani (بعراني), pop 326 Big Sweidiyeh (سويدية كبيرة), aka Suwaydiya Kabir, pop 6106 Bir Elhasham (بئر الهشم), pop 79 Bir Said (بئر سعيد), pop 117 Eastern Khayala (لخيالة الشرقية), pop 4457 Faraa (لفارعة), pop 3809 Fteih (لفتيح), pop 390 Ghota (لغوطة), pop 2163 Hadba (لحدباء), pop 602 Hawi Elhawa (حاوي الهوى), pop 1651 Hazimeh (حزيمة), pop 3386 Hettin (حطين), pop 2627 Hfeiret Elsoqur (حفيرة الصقور), pop 138 Hilo Abed (حلو عبد), pop 1443 Htash (حتاش), pop 455 Hweijet Faraj (حويجة فرج), pop 945 Jalaa (لجلاء), pop 1253 Kalta (لكالطة), pop 2626 Kardus (كردوس), pop 158 Katuniyeh (لخاتونية), pop 3651 Kdeiran (كديران), pop 4697 Khayala (لخيالة), pop 234 Kisret Elsheikh Jomaa (كسرة شيخ الجمعة), pop 2956 Laqta (لقطة), pop 529 Little Sweidiyeh (سويدية صغيرة), aka Suwaydiya Saghirah, pop 809 Marj Abu Shareb (مرج أبو شارب), pop 132 Mashrafa (لمشرفة), pop 230 Milsun (ميسلون), pop 1766 Moezleh (معيزيلة), pop 646 Qahtaniyeh (لقحطانية), pop 2490 Rabee'a (ربيعة), pop 1906 Raeqqet Samra (رقة سمرة), pop 4077 Rahmaniya (لرحمانية), pop 513 Rashidiyeh (لرشيد), pop 1626 Rohayat (لرحيات), pop 1355 Royan (رويان), pop 735 Safyan (صفيان), pop 395 Sahl (لسحل), pop 2772 Shamiyeh (لشامية), pop 625 Sukariyet Tal Elsamen (سكرية تل السمن), pop 1967 Tal Elsamen Dahham (تل السمن دحام), pop 2530 Talet Elansar (طالعة الأنصار), pop 190 Tawi Rumman (طاوي رمان), pop 1348 Thulth Khneiz (ثلث خنيز), pop 846 Tishrine (تشرين), pop 1850 Tweilah (لطويلعة), pop 196 Um Elhweyeh (أم الحوية), pop 336 Upper Khneiz (خنيز فوقاني), pop 1101 Western Kabsh (كبش غربي), pop 1272 Western Sahlabiyeh (لسلحبية غربية), pop 3568 Widyan (لوديان, aka Bi'r Huwaym/Bir Khuwaym/بئر حويم), pop 831 Wihdeh (لوحدة), pop 842 Yaarub (يعرب), pop 1403 Yamama (ليمامة), pop 1408 Yarmuk (ليرموك), pop 3221 Yathreb (يثرب), pop 1335 Zahera (لزاهرة), pop 461 ? (16 تشرين), pop 498 ? (لأنصار), pop 1587 ? (لثامرية), pop 43 ? (لحمزة), pop 168 ? (لحميدان), pop 62 Dahlan or Dehlan (لدحلان), pop 102 ? (لدرة), pop 339 Drubiyeh (لدروبية), pop 1929 ? (لدهموش), pop 590 ? (لسلحبية شرقية), pop 1796 ? (لصديق), pop 95 ? (لفيحاء), pop 1218 ? (لمظلة), pop 122 ? (بئر الجربوع), pop 591 ? (جهينة), pop 194 ? (خربة اللحم), pop 40 ? (خنيز الغانم), pop 858 ? (رطلة), pop 4712 ? (شنينة), pop 386 ? (كبش وسطي), pop 383 ? (كسرة عفنان), pop 986 ? (مرندية غربية), pop 226 ? (واسطة الرفدي), pop 103
Syrian civil war
By March 2013 all of the countryside and effectively the city had fallen into rebel hands. During December 2016 the Syrian Democratic Forces drove ISIS out of most of the neighbouring Al-Jarniyah Subdistrict. Early in January 2017 the SDF extended their advance into south-western parts of Raqqa Subdistrict, occupying the area around Bi'r Huwaym / Widyan (Arabic: الوديان), and western Sweidiyeh.
The SDF extended their control the north of Raqqa Governorate into Raqqa Subdistrict as far south as the hill Tal Saman (Arabic: تل السمن), gaining control of Thulth Khneiz and several other villages in November 2016. At that time an elementary school and the water purification system in Sukariyet Tal Elsamen were severely damaged in air raids, and among other casualties one American Special Operations trooper died at Tal Saman. Further gains by the SDF were reported in January 2017 including Abu Suseh, Mashrafa and Ayuj. With the capture of Big Sweidiyeh on 21 January 2017, the SDF were in control of all parts of the nahiyah north of the irrigation canal running from Lake Assad to Tal Saman.
References
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