Al-Yacoubiyah

Al-Yacoubiyah اليعقوبية Եագուպիէ
Village
The village as seen from St. Anna church
Al-Yacoubiyah
Coordinates: 35°55′20″N 36°18′52″E / 35.922250°N 36.314426°E / 35.922250; 36.314426
Country	Syria
Governorate	Idlib
District	Jisr al-Shughur
Subdistrict	Al-Janudiyah
Elevation	460 m (1,510 ft)
Population  (2004)
• Total	476
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Al-Yacoubiyah (Arabic: اليعقوبية, romanized: al-Yaʿqūbīyah, Armenian: Եագուպիէ; also spelled Yacoubiyeh, Yakoubieh, Yacoubeh or Yaqoubiyah) is a Christian village in north-west Syria, administratively part of the Jisr ash-Shugur District, subordinate to the Idlib Governorate, located west of Idlib and just southeast of the border with Turkey. It is situated in a well-forested mountain above the Orontes River,^[1] with an elevation of 480 meters above sea level. Nearby localities include Qunaya adjacent to the east, Kafr Debbin further to the east, the nahiyah ("subdistrict") center of al-Janudiyah to the south, al-Malnad to the west and Zarzur to the north.^[2]

According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Yacoubiyah had a population of 476 in the 2004 census.^[3] Its inhabitants are mostly Christians, roughly split into the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic denominations.^[4] The surrounding areas are predominantly inhabited by Sunni Muslims.^[1] There are two Armenian Apostolic churches in al-Yacoubiyah: Saint Anna (Armenian: Սբ. Աննա) and Saint Hripsime (Armenian: Սբ. Հռիփսիմե). The last one is built similar to Ejmiatsin's Saint Hripsime. There is also one Armenian Catholic church.^[1]

Al-Yacoubiyah, along with the nearby localities of Kesab and Ghenamiyah, were settled by the Armenian community between the 8th and 12th centuries CE.^[5]

In 1929, by the efforts of Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Armenian Prelacy, Diocese of Aleppo, an Armenian school was built in the village, where Armenian is taught alongside Arabic.

In late January 2013, al-Yacoubiyah was captured by anti-government rebels during the Syrian civil war. Most of the fighting for the village's capture centered on a Syrian Army post at the village entrance and government troops subsequently withdrew to Jisr al-Shughur. While al-Yacoubiyah's infrastructure was not significantly damaged and no residents were killed in the clashes, many of its abandoned houses and businesses were looted. Rebels commandeered some of the empty houses of the village, claiming they received permission by its residents. According to local residents, many of al-Yacoubiyah's Armenians have fled the village while most of its Catholics remained. The village consequently became under administration by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham rebel organisation.^[1]

In 2022, local authorities in Idlib announced the reopening of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Saint Anna in al-Yacoubiyah, presenting it as part of efforts to encourage the return of Christians and to demonstrate religious tolerance. At the same time, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham consolidated its control over the area by restricting or dismantling more hardline Salafi-jihadist factions, including Hurras al-Din and foreign fighter groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party, aiming to centralize authority.^[6]

Following the fall of Assad regime, religious celebrations resumed and some displaced residents returned, with around 150 families reported back in the village and nearby areas by 2026, despite reconstruction challenges.^[7][8]

• Armenians in Syria
• List of Armenian ethnic enclaves