My parents Mohamed and Badrieh Saydjari were both born in Jisr al Shughur. They grew up and married there. They then educated themselves at the American University in Beirut. Then my father finished medical school at the University of Geneva in Switzerland before both of them emigrated to the United States. Jisr al Shughur or Jisr ash-Shugur (Arabic: جسر الشغور) It is also spelled Jisr al-Shughour and is a city in the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. The town is situated about 170 meters (560 ft) above sea level on the banks of the Orontes River. Although the city had a population of 44,322 people in 2010, the Syrian civil war’s violence has displaced many inhabitants.
Al-Jisr, as my parents often referred to, it has a long and rich history. The city was a key stopping point on the trade route between Latakia on the coast, 75 kilometers (47 mi) to the west, and Aleppo 104 kilometers (65 mi) to the east. Al-Jisr is located in the plains of the Ghab valley on the eastern side of the An-Nusayriyah Mountains (also known as the Jebel Ansariye). The area has been continuously inhabited for over 10,000 years. The ancient city of Qarqar is thought to have been situated some 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) south of the modern town. It was established in Hellenistic times as the city of Seleucia ad Belum. The Romans called it Niaccuba and built a stone bridge there across the Orontes.
Very little remains of the ancient city except for portions of the Roman bridge. This bridge is the reason for the town’s name as Jisr means bridge in Arabic. Several old Ottoman-era buildings still survive, including a caravanserai (caravansary). This was built in the center of the old Jisr al-Shughur around 1660. It served as a resting place for travelers and traders. There is also an old mosque (see photos below) near my grandfather’s house. My older brother Razi grew up in that house until age 4 when he joined my parents in their new home in the United States.
When my parents describe the al-Jisr they grew up in, I can almost see the flowers and pomegranates that inhabited their childhood memories. Both Mom and Dad passed away before the recent troubles (revolution). In some ways, I am grateful that they did not live to see the war. The bombs and the bloodshed would have broken their hearts. I prefer to see Jisr al-Shughur through the eyes of their youth, still unscarred. You can read more about modern Jisr al-Shughur on our family webpage: https://family.saydjari.net/timelines/