Al-Hasakah

Al-Hasakah (Arabic: الحسكة‎, Kurdish: Hesîçe‎, Syriac: ܚܣܟܗ) is the capital of the Al-Hasakah Province in the Jazira Region of Rojava in Syria. It is the second largest city of Rojava (after Raqqa) with a population of 180.000 inhabitants. It is best known for its ethnically diverse population of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and smaller numbers of Armenians.

History
The city has been inhabited since antiquity, as evidenced by the tell in the city centre. Excavations have revealed artifacts from the Middle-Assyrian, Byzantine, and Islamic eras. Al-Hasakah remained small throughout the Ottoman occupation, until a French military outpost was established in 1922. Following the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, refugees established a settlement around the French outpost, and a city began to develop in the late 1920s.

During French administration, the region enjoyed relative stability, and the city kept growing by taking in Assyrian refugees fleeing the genocide in Iraq. It developed into the administrative centre of the region, supported by an economic boom resulting from irrigation projects that boosted agriculture in the area. From 1960s onward, Al-Hasakah thrived on cotton production, complemented by oil discovered in the 1970s.

Al-Hasakah's large Kurdish population positioned it at the forefront of the Syrian Civil War. The city was overrun by Islamic terrorists in 2015, forcing the Syrian Army to retreat. Liberation by Kurdish militias followed soon afterwards, and Al-Hasakah has since been integrated into Rojava.

Climate
Al-Hasakah has a Mediterranean-influenced semi-arid climate with very hot dry summers and cool wet winters. The best months to visit are April and May, or October to mid November.

Get in
As of 2023, travelling by car or minibus is the only practical way of reaching Al-Hasakah. Expect several security checks along the way. Moving between rebel- and government-held areas is next to impossible.

See