View source for Manbij

{{Short description|City in Syria}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage-->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->| native_name        = منبج
| native_name_lang   = ar
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Syria|City]]
| motto              = <!-- images and maps  ----------->
| p1                 = {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} [[Syrian transitional government]]
| image_skyline      = A street view of manbij city - panoramio.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Manbij in 2005
| image_flag         = 
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| image_blank_emblem = 
| blank_emblem_type  = 
| blank_emblem_size  = 
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| image_dot_map      = 
| pushpin_map        = Syria <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label      = Manbij
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize    = 250
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Syria
<!-- Location ------------------>| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Syria}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Governorates of Syria|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Aleppo Governorate|Aleppo]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Syria|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Manbij District|Manbij]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Nahiyah|Subdistrict]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Manbij Nahiya|Manbij]]
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
| leader_name1       = 
| leader_title2      = 
| leader_name2       = 
| leader_title3      = 
| leader_name3       = 
| leader_title4      = 
| leader_name4       = 
| established_title  = <!-- Settled -->
| established_date   = 
| established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
| established_date2  = 
| established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| established_date3  = <!-- Area    --------------------->
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = Metric <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
| area_land_km2      = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion-->
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_blank1_title  = 
| area_blank1_km2    = 
| area_blank1_sq_mi  = <!-- Population   ----------------------->
| population_as_of   = 2004
| population_footnotes = <ref name="CBS" />
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 99,497
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_urban   = 
| population_density_urban_km2 = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| population_blank1_title = Ethnicities
| population_blank1  = 
| population_blank2_title = Religions
| population_blank2  = 
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 
| population_density_blank1_sq_mi = <!-- General information  --------------->
| timezone           = 
| utc_offset         = 
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|36|31|41|N|37|57|17|E|region:SY|display=inline}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 460
| elevation_ft       = <!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
| postal_code_type   = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 
| blank_name         = 
| blank_info         = 
| blank1_name        = 
| blank1_info        = 
| parts_type         = Control
| parts_style        = para
| website            = <!-- http://www.manbij.com -->
| footnotes          = 
| name               = 
| official_name      = 
}}

'''Manbij''' ({{langx|ar|منبج|Manbiǧ}}<ref>{{cite news |title=من يسبق في السيطرة على مدينة منبج الاستراتيجية؟ |url=https://dw.com/ar/من-يسبق-في-السيطرة-على-مدينة-منبج-الاستراتيجية/a-5083010 |access-date=21 December 2019 |work=DW |language=ar }}{{Dead link|date=March 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>) is a city in the northeast of [[Aleppo Governorate]] in northern [[Syria]], {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} west of the [[Euphrates]]. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.<ref name="CBS">[http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-28-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120729212839/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-28-2004.htm |date=2012-07-29 }}. [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS). Aleppo Governorate.{{in lang|ar}}</ref> The population of Manbij is largely [[Arabs|Arab]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-us-turkey-troops-fighting-manbij-kurdish-assad-civil-war-a8236201.html |title=In the small city of Manbij in Syria, we could see US and Turkish troops shooting at each other if tensions continue |newspaper= The Independent |date=2 March 2018 |access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref> with [[Kurds in Syria|Kurdish]], [[Syrian Turkmen|Turkmen]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Arpacık |first1=Cihat |title=Menbiç krizi Türkmen aileleri böldü |url=https://www.indyturk.com/node/3271/d%C3%BCnya/menbi%C3%A7-krizi-t%C3%BCrkmen-aileleri-b%C3%B6ld%C3%BC |website=Independent |access-date=11 April 2022}}</ref> [[Circassians in Syria|Circassian]], and [[Chechens in Syria|Chechen]] minorities. Many of its residents practice [[Naqshbandi]] [[Sufism]].<ref name="MERIP"/>

During the [[Syrian Civil War]], the city was first captured by rebels in 2012, overrun by the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] in 2014 and finally captured by the [[Syrian Democratic Forces]] (SDF) in 2016, bringing it into the [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]] (AANES). From 2018 to 2024, after an agreement with the SDF, the [[Syrian Arab Army]] had been deployed on the city's periphery as a buffer between the [[Turkish occupation of Northern Syria]] and the AANES. On December 9, 2024, it was reported that the city came under the control of the [[Syrian Interim Government]] after a deal was reached between the U.S. and Turkey to allow the safe exit of SDF fighters.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spicer |first1=Jonathan |last2=Toksabay |first2=Ece |title=Rebels take Syrian city from U.S.-backed group after U.S.-Turkey deal, source says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rebels-take-north-syria-town-us-backed-group-turkish-source-says-2024-12-09/ |website=Reuters}}</ref> The pro-Turkish forces' control over the area did not end until the [[Syrian Interim Government|SIG]] was incorporated into the [[Syrian caretaker government]] at the end of January 2025.

==Etymology==
Coins struck at the city before [[Wars of Alexander the Great|Alexander's conquest]] record the [[Aramean]] name of the city as '''Manbug''' (''Mnbg'',{{clarify|date=February 2024}}<!--Aramaic script form?--> "Site of the Spring").<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA498|title=The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia: The Near East from the Early Bronze Age to the Fall of the Persian Empire|author=Trevor Bryce|year=2009|page= 498|isbn=9781134159086}}</ref> For the [[Assyria]]ns it was known as Nappigu or Nanpigi.{{clarify|date=February 2024}}<!--Assyrian script form?--><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBOwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA564|title=On Art in the Ancient Near East Volume I: Of the First Millennium BCE|author=Irene Winter|year=2009|page= 564|isbn=9789047425847}}</ref> Its name was [[hellenization of place names|hellenized]] as '''Bambyce''' ({{langx|grc|Βαμβύκη}}, ''Bambykē''){{clarify|date=February 2024}}<!--where's the accent?--> and recorded by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] as '''Mabog''' ({{langx|syc|ܡܒܘܓ}}, ''Mabbog'' or ''Mabbogh'').<ref>[[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Nat. Hist.]]'', Book V, §81.</ref>

As the center of the worship of the [[Canaanite religion|Syrian]] [[fertility goddess]] [[Atargatis]], it became known to the Greeks as '''Hieropolis''' ({{lang|grc|Ἱερόπολις}}, ''Hierópolis''), the "City of the Sanctuary", and then as '''Hierapolis''' ({{lang|grc|Ἱεράπολις}}, ''Hierápolis''), the "Holy City".<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Hierapolis|volume=13|pages=451–452|first1=Charles William|last1=Wilson|author1-link=Charles William Wilson|first2=David George|last2=Hogarth|author2-link=David George Hogarth}}</ref>

==Cult of Atargatis==
{{main|De Dea Syria}}
This worship of [[Atargatis]] was immortalized in ''[[De Dea Syria]]'' which has traditionally been attributed to [[Lucian of Samosata]], who gave a full description of the [[Cult (religion)|religious cult]] of the shrine and the tank of sacred fish of Atargatis, of which [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]] also relates marvels. According to the ''De Dea Syria'', the worship was of a [[phallic]] character, [[votary|votaries]] offering little male figures of wood and [[bronze]]. There were also huge phalli set up like [[obelisk]]s before the temple, which were ceremoniously climbed once a year and decorated.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The temple contained a holy chamber into which only priests were allowed to enter. A great bronze [[altar]] stood in front, set about with statues, and in the forecourt lived numerous sacred animals and birds (but not swine) used for sacrifice.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Some three hundred priests served the shrine and there were numerous minor ministrants. The lake was the centre of sacred festivities and it was customary for votaries to swim out and decorate an altar standing in the middle of the water. [[Self-mutilation]] and other [[Orgy|orgies]] went on in the temple precinct, and there was an elaborate ritual on entering the city and first visiting the shrine.<ref name="EB1911"/>

==History==

===Antiquity===
[[File:Coin of Bambyce, Achaemenid Eber-Nari.jpg|thumb|Silver ''didrachm'' of 'Abyati, [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] dynast/priest of Manbog (Bambyce), dated c. 340-332 BC. '''Obv''': "[[Hadad]] and Ateh" in [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]], facing female bust, wearing necklace. '''Rev''': "Abyaty" in Aramaic, high priest and driver in [[chariot]].]]
The [[Arameans]] called the city "Mnbg" (Manbug).<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sew9Lby_MVsC&pg=PA285|title='Al Kanfei Yonah: Collected Studies of Jonas C. Greenfield on Semitic Philology|editor1-first=Shalom M.|editor1-last=Paul|editor2-first=Michael E.|editor2-last=Stone|editor3-first=Avital|editor3-last=Pinnick|first=Jonas Carl|last=Greenfield|publisher=Brill|volume=1|chapter=Aspects of Aramean Religion|isbn=978-9-004-12170-6|series=Biblical Studies and Religious Studies|year=2001|page= 285}}</ref> Manbij was part of the kingdom of [[Bit Adini]] and was annexed by the Assyrians in 856 BC. The Assyrian king [[Shalmaneser III]] renamed it '''Lita-Ashur''' and built a royal palace. The city was reconquered by the Assyrian king [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] in 738 BC.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1aF0hq1GR8C&pg=PA497|title=The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia: The Near East from the Early Bronze Age to the Fall of the Persian Empire|author= Trevor Bryce|year=2009|page= 479|isbn=9781134159086}}</ref> The sanctuary of Atargatis predates the Macedonian conquest, as it seems that the city was the center of a dynasty of Aramean priest-kings ruling at the very end of the [[Achaemenid Empire]];<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IA-YlZqHv90C&pg=PA244|title=The Roman Near East, 31 B.C.-A.D. 337|author= Fergus Millar|year=1993|page= 244|isbn=9780674778863}}</ref> two kings are known, 'Abyati and Abd-Hadad.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrMKKtiBBI4C&pg=PA633|title=The Aramaeans: Their Ancient History, Culture, Religion|author=  Edward Lipiński|year=2000|page= 633|isbn=9789042908598}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9FlmAAAAMAAJ|title=Coinage in Roman Syria: Northern Syria, 64 BC-AD 253|author= Kevin Butcher|year=2004|page= 24|isbn=9780901405586}}</ref> The fate of Abd-Hadad is not known but the city came firmly under the Macedonian empire,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0r3KAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA147|title=Seleukos Nikator (Routledge Revivals): Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom|author=  John D Grainger|year=2014|page= 147|isbn=9781317800996}}</ref> and prospered under the rule of the [[Seleucid]]s who made it the chief station on their main road between [[Antioch]] and [[Seleucia on the Tigris]]. The temple was sacked by [[Crassus]] on his way to meet the [[Parthia]]ns (53 BC). The [[coin]]age of the city begins in the 4th century BC with the coins of the priest-kings followed by the [[Aramaic]] series of the Macedonian and Seleucid monarchs. They show Atargatis either as a bust with [[mural crown]] or as riding on a [[lion]]. She continues to supply the chief type even during imperial Roman times, being generally shown seated with the [[Timpani|tympanum]] in her hand. Other coins substitute the legend Θεάς Συρίας Ιεροπολιτόν ''Theas Syrias Ieropoliton'' within a [[wreath]].<ref name="EB1911"/>

In the third century, the city was the capital of [[Euphratensis]] province and one of the great cities of [[Roman Syria]]. It was, however, in a ruinous state when [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]] gathered his troops there before marching to his defeat and death in [[Mesopotamia]]. Sassanid Emperor [[Khosrau I of Persia|Khosrau I]] held it to ransom after [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Justinian I]] had failed to defend it.<ref name="EB1911"/>

===Middle Ages===
The [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]] restored Manbij at the end of the 8th century, making it the capital of the frontier province of [[al-Awasim]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cobb|first1=Paul M.|title=White Banners: Contention in 'Abbasid Syria, 750-880|date=2001|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791448809|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2C6KIBw4F9YC&q=Abu+Muhammad+al-Sufyani|page=12}}</ref> Afterward, the city became a point of contention between the Byzantines, [[Arabs]] and [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] groups. The Arab chieftain [[Salih ibn Mirdas]] captured it circa 1022, making Manbij, along with [[Barbalissos|Balis]] and [[al-Rahba]], the foundation of his [[Mirdasid dynasty|Mirdasid emirate]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zakkar|first1=Suhayl|title=The Emirate of Aleppo: 1004–1094|date=1971|publisher=Dar al-Amanah|location=Aleppo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sbltAAAAMAAJ|page=53}}</ref> At the time, Manbij was one of the most important fortresses in northern Syria.<ref name="Basan76">{{cite book|last1=Basan|first1=Osman Aziz|title=The Great Seljuqs: A History|date=2010|publisher=Routledge|page=76|isbn=9781136953934|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4p0tCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA76}}</ref> In 1068, the Byzantine emperor [[Romanos Diogenes]] captured it, defeated the Mirdasids and their [[Bedouin]] allies, killed the city's inhabitants and plundered the surrounding countryside.<ref name="IbnAthir166">{{cite book|author1=Ibn al-Athir|editor1-last=Richards|editor1-first=D.S.|title=The Annals of the Saljuq Turks: Selections from Al-Kamil Fi'l-Ta'rikh of Ibn Al-Athir|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|page=166|isbn=9781317832553|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KB1IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166}}</ref> Romanos later withdrew due to a severe shortage of food and supplies.<ref name="Basan76"/><ref name="IbnAthir166"/> It was later captured by Seljuk Sultan [[Malik-Shah I]] in 1086.{{sfn|Purton|2009|p=184}} In 1124, [[Belek Ghazi]] tried to annex Manbij, after he had imprisoned its emir Hassan al-Ba'labakki, but he was hit and killed by an arrow during the siege.{{sfn|Richards|2010|p=619}}

The [[Crusaders]] never captured Manbij during their 11th–12th century invasions of the [[Levant]], but the [[Latin Church]] archbishopric of Hierapolis was re-established in the town of [[Duluk]] by 1134.<ref name="Hamilton175180">{{cite book|last1=Hamilton|first1=Bernard|editor1-last=Ciggaar|editor1-first=K.|editor2-last=Metcalf|editor2-first=M.|title=East and West in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean: Antioch from the Byzantine Reconquest Until the End of the Crusader Principality|date=2006|publisher=Peeters Publishers|pages=175, 180|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DO8qTYM71tQC&pg=PA175|chapter=The Growth of the Latin Church of Antioch|isbn=9789042917354}}</ref> By 1152, Duluk and Manbij were captured by the [[Zengid dynasty|Zengid]]s under [[Nur ad-Din, atabeg of Aleppo|Nur ad-Din]],<ref name="Hamilton175180"/> who reconstructed and strengthened the city's fortress.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hillenbrand|first1=Carole|title=The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives|date=2000|publisher=Routledge|page=474|isbn=9780415929141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UalnoF5MBHMC&pg=PA110}}</ref> The [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] sultan, [[Saladin]], conquered it from its Zengid lord, Qutb ad-Din Inal, in 1175.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lyons|first1=Malcolm Cameron|last2=Jackson|first2=D. E. P.|title=Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War|date=1982|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=105|isbn=9780521317399|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGR5M0druJIC&pg=PA105}}</ref> In 1260, the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] under [[Hulagu]] destroyed Ayyubid Manbij, which was consequently abandoned by its [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkmen]] and [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] inhabitants as they migrated to [[Aleppo]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Amitai-Preiss|first1=Reuven|title=Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260-128|date=1995|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=204|isbn=9780521522908|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DFO-eV9cQ0sC&pg=PA204}}</ref>

===Modern era===
Manbij's ruins are extensive but mostly belong to the later period of its history.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Hierapolis-ancient-city-Syria "Hierapolis"], in - The new Encyclopædia Britannica: Volume 5, 2002, page 913</ref> Most of the monuments of Manbij are gone, because it is a strategically important place at a group of crossroads, unlike [[Cyrrhus]] whose bishop was under Manbij. [[Henry Maundrell]] who visited Mambij in 1699 noticed a rock with large busts of a male and a female with two eagles below them. Another rock had three figures sculpted in [[low relief]]. [[Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney|Volney]] who visited the place in 18th century mentioned that no remains of Atargatis' temple existed. Alexander Drummond noticed walls of a square building which he said was Atargatis' temple and also a base in the building which he identified as an altar.<ref name=,volney>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LhRDQAAQBAJ&q=menbij+cyrrhus+maundrell&pg=PA243|title=Syria's Monuments: Their Survival and Destruction|pages=243, 244|isbn=9789004334601|last1=Greenhalgh|first1=Michael|date=3 November 2016}}</ref>

Travellers in the 19th century had recorded some of its ancient remains, but now almost all of them, including Atargatis' temple, its [[sacred lake]], [[colonnades]], [[Roman baths]], [[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatres]], walls and churches built by the [[Byzantine Empire]] as well as [[madrassas]] built in the medieval era, have been destroyed. The sacred lake of Atargatis has disappeared and has been converted into a football field. Only a part of the wall that enclosed the lake has survived but no ruins of Atargatis' temple remains. Some ancient Roman military stele also exist.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_IBAwAAQBAJ&q=menbij+lake+football&pg=PA202|title=Monuments of Syria: A Guide|pages=202, 203|isbn=9780857714893|last1=Burns|first1=Ross|date=30 June 2009}}</ref> Ruins of the southern wall that enclosed Atargatis' temple still survive.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jz4lDwAAQBAJ&dq=remains+of+the+southern+enclosure+wall+of+the+temple+of+atargatis&pg=PA36 Ross Burns. "Aleppo: A History"], p. 36</ref> The walls of the city still exist but have been plundered.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WaocBgAAQBAJ&dq=manbij+walls+survey&pg=PA98 A. Asa Eger. "The Islamic-Byzantine Frontier:&nbsp;Interaction and Exchange Among Muslim and Christian Communities"], p. 36</ref>

The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman government]] resettled the area with [[Circassian people|Circassian]] refugees from the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War]] in 1878.<ref>Sir [[Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge]], By Nile and Tigris:&nbsp;A Narrative of Journeys in Egypt and Mesopotamia on Behalf of the British Museum Between the Years 1886-1913, Volume 1, p. 390, [https://archive.org/details/byniletigrisnarr01budguoft/page/389]</ref> As of 1911, its 1,500 inhabitants were all Circassians.<ref name='ce'/> [[Armenian people|Armenian]] refugees settled in Manbij during the [[Armenian genocide]]. In autumn 1915 [[Djemal Pasha]] ordered the establishment of a camp for about 1000 families of the Armenian [[Clergy]]. In January and February 1916 the sub prefect of Manbij ordered the camp to be cleared and the Armenians to be deported to Meskene.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kevorkian|first=Raymond|title=Le réseaux des camps de concentration. Axes de déportation et camps de concentration de Syrie et de Mésopotamie|url=https://www.imprescriptible.fr/rhac/tome2/p1e#mounboudj|access-date=2020-12-07|website=www.imprescriptible.fr}}</ref> The destruction of pre-modern Manbij has been attributed to its resettlement by Circassians and Armenians.<ref name=,volney/>

====Syrian Civil War====
{{see also|Manbij offensive (2016)}}
[[File:US SOF near Manbij.png|thumb|[[United States special operations forces]] near Manbij, acting as advisors to the [[Syrian Democratic Forces]], March 2017]]
Before and in the early years of the [[Syrian Civil War]], Manbij had an ethnically diverse population of [[Arab]], [[Kurds in Syria|Kurdish]], [[Syrian Turkmen|Turkmen]], and [[Circassians in Syria|Circassian]] [[Sunni Muslim]]s, many of whom followed the [[Naqshbandi]] Sufi order. The city's socio-political life was dominated by its main tribes. Tribal leaders served as the mediators and arbiters of major disputes in Manbij, while the state's security forces largely dealt with petty offenses. The city was relatively liberal compared to other Sunni Muslim-majority cities in the countryside of Aleppo.<ref name="MERIP">{{cite web|last1=Khaddour|first1=Kheder|last2=Mazur|first2=Kevin|title=The Struggle for Syria's Regions|url=http://www.merip.org/mer/mer269/struggle-syrias-regions|publisher=Middle East Research and Information Project|access-date=27 August 2015|date=Winter 2013}}</ref>

During the civil war, on 20 July 2012, Manbij fell to local rebel forces who thereafter administered the city. In December, there was an election to appoint a local council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0mRKAfIY_o | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523214910/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0mRKAfIY_o| archive-date=2014-05-23 | url-status=dead|title=المجالس المحلية .. خطوة نحو الأمام |publisher= SyriaTomorrow |date=9 December 2012 |access-date=9 December 2012}}</ref> In January 2014, forces from the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIL) took over the city after ousting the [[Free Syrian Army|rebels]]. The city has since become a hub for trading in looted artifacts and archaeological digging equipment.<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda chief Zawahri tells Islamists in Syria to unite - audio|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-crisis-zawahri-idUKBREA0M0DU20140123|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203171048/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-syria-crisis-zawahri-idUKBREA0M0DU20140123|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2016|access-date=27 August 2015|work=Reuters|date=2015-01-23}}</ref> In June 2016, the [[Syrian Democratic Forces]] (SDF) launched an [[Manbij offensive (2016)|offensive]] to capture Manbij,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/sdf-closes-isil-supply-route-syria-manbij-160602084213370.html|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=3 June 2016|access-date=3 June 2016|title=SDF closes in on ISIL supply route in Syria's Manbij}}</ref> and by 8 June had fully encircled the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-manbij-idUSKCN0YW0T1|work=Reuters|date=8 June 2016|title=U.S.-backed forces cut off all routes into IS-held Manbij: Syrian Observatory}}</ref> On 12 August the SDF had established full control over Manbij after a two-month battle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sdf-captures-isiss-largest-stronghold-aleppo/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817030204/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sdf-captures-isiss-largest-stronghold-aleppo/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 August 2016|title=SDF captures ISIS's largest stronghold in Aleppo|last=Charkatli|first=Izat|date=2016-08-12|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-13}}</ref>

[[File:Joint Syrian-Russian base near Manbij.png|thumb|Joint Syrian-Russian base near Manbij, 2017]]
By 15 August, thousands of previously displaced citizens of Manbij were reported returning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/08/15/thousands-return-to-manbij-after-islamic-state-militants-flee-city|title=Thousands Return To Manbij After Islamic State Militants Flee City|publisher=News Deeply|date=15 August 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref> On 19 August 2016, the [[Manbij Military Council]] issued a written statement announcing it had taken over the security of Manbij city center and villages from the SDF, of which it is a component.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/manbij-military-council-takes-over-the-security-of-manbij|title=Manbij Military Council takes over the security of Manbij|work=ANF|date=19 August 2016}}</ref>

Today Manbij is self-administered by the Manbij City Council, co-chaired by Sheikh Farouk al-Mashi and Salih Haji Mohammed,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/05/on-the-front-line-in-the-bloody-fight-to-take-manbij-from-isis.html|title=On the Front Line in the Bloody Fight to Take Manbij From ISIS|work=The Daily Beast|date=5 June 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref> as part of [[Shahba region]] within the ''de facto'' autonomous [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria|Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava]] framework. While public administration including public schools has regained secular normalcy after the ISIL episode,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syrian-kids-relish-return-school-ex-bastion|title=Syrian kids relish return to school in ex-IS bastion|publisher=ReliefWeb (AFP)|date=28 September 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/10/manbij-students-back-school-isis-explosives-dismantled/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012172853/http://aranews.net/2016/10/manbij-students-back-school-isis-explosives-dismantled/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 12, 2016|title=Manbij: students back to school after ISIS explosives dismantled|publisher=ARA News|date=10 October 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref> a reconciliation committee to overcome rifts created by the civil war was formed,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.hawarnews.com/reconciliation-committee-formed-of-manbij-tribal-notables-and-intellectuals/|title=Reconciliation committee formed of Manbij tribal notables and intellectuals|publisher=[[Hawar News Agency]]|date=9 October 2016|access-date=2016-10-15|archive-date=2017-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010111942/http://en.hawarnews.com/reconciliation-committee-formed-of-manbij-tribal-notables-and-intellectuals/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and international humanitarian aid has been delivered,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aranews.net/2016/09/us-led-coalition-delivering-aid-civilians-post-isis-manbij/|title=US-led coalition delivering aid to civilians in post-ISIS Manbij|publisher=ARA News|date=25 September 2016|access-date=2016-10-15|archive-date=2018-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926130645/http://aranews.net/2016/09/us-led-coalition-delivering-aid-civilians-post-isis-manbij/|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Democratic confederalism|democratic confederalist]] political program of Rojava is driving political and societal transformations in terms of [[direct democracy]] and [[gender equality]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian women liberated from Isis are joining the police to protect their city|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/isis-syria-women-liberated-create-police-force-a7359376.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=13 October 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Liberated from ISIS suppression, women of Manbij join security forces (includes Video)|url=http://aranews.net/2016/10/liberated-isis-suppression-women-manbij-join-armed-forces-protect-city/|publisher=ARA News|date=13 October 2016|access-date=2016-10-15|archive-date=2018-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001051405/http://aranews.net/2016/10/liberated-isis-suppression-women-manbij-join-armed-forces-protect-city/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Reconstruction after devastations of civil war combat<ref>{{cite web|title=(Video) Manbij after liberation|website = [[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fjnUINvdc| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108131026/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fjnUINvdc| archive-date=2020-11-08 | url-status=dead|date=23 August 2016|access-date=2016-10-15}}</ref> remains a major challenge.

[[File:Combined Joint U.S., Turkey Patrols2.jpg|thumb|American and Turkish soldiers conduct patrols on the outskirts of Manbij, November 1, 2018]]
Until October 2019, when US and other Western forces withdrew from northern Syria, Manbij was also a hub for [[Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve]] training of new SDF recruits in the fight against ISIL and other [[Islamism|Islamist]] militias in Syria.<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. military aid is fueling big ambitions for Syria's leftist Kurdish militia|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/us-military-aid-is-fueling-big-ambitions-for-syrias-leftist-kurdish-militia/2017/01/07/6e457866-c79f-11e6-acda-59924caa2450_story.html|date=7 January 2017}}</ref> On 26 February, the United States announced its support for the security of the Manbij Military Council. The United States also reportedly sent special forces and several military convoys to Manbij after the announcement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-confirms-support-for-manbij-military-council-despite-turkish-threats/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227045932/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-confirms-support-for-manbij-military-council-despite-turkish-threats/|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 February 2017|title=US confirms support for Manbij Military Council despite Turkish threats|first=Paul|last=Antonopoulos|date=26 February 2017}}</ref>

On 12 March 2017, the Legislative Assembly of Manbij approved the elected co-presidents who then took office. During the meeting the departments of the committee members, co-presidents and committees were determined after speeches and evaluations. 13 committees were determined.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anfenglish.com/news/manbij-democratic-civilian-administration-council-takes-office-18957|title=Manbij Democratic Civilian Administration Council takes office|website=ANF News}}</ref> The 13 new committees include 71 Arabs, 43 Kurds, 10 Turkmen, 8 [[Circassians in Syria|Circassians]], an [[Armenians in Syria|Armenian]] and a [[Chechens|Chechen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://komnews.com/manbij-declares-new-administration-much-contested-city/|title=Manbij declares new administration in much-contested city|work=Kom News|date=12 March 2017|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314154110/https://komnews.com/manbij-declares-new-administration-much-contested-city/|archive-date=14 March 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 1 November 2018, [[Turkish Armed Forces|Turkish]] and [[United States Armed Forces|US troops]] began joint patrols around Manbij along the front lines of the [[Operation Euphrates Shield|Euphrates Shield]] [[Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army|rebel]] territory and the [[Manbij Military Council]]. The joint patrols were seen as part of a "roadmap" for easing tensions between militants in the region and tensions between the two [[NATO]] allies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2018/11/01/us-turkey-begin-joint-patrols-around-northern-syrian-town-of-manbij/|title=US, Turkey begin joint patrols around northern Syrian town of Manbij|date=1 November 2018}}</ref>

On 28 December 2018, the [[People's Protection Units|YPG]] asked the Assad government via Twitter to protect Manbij from attacks by the [[Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army]]. The Syrian government's media said the Syrian army had entered Manbij, a claim that was disputed by other sources the same day. The [[Syrian Observatory for Human Rights]] reported that the Syrian Army was still outside of the town.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-03-05|title=Nordsyrien: Assad-Truppen schon in Manbidsch? {{!}} tagesschau.de|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/syrien-tuerkei-offensive-101.html|access-date=2021-09-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305204043/https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/syrien-tuerkei-offensive-101.html|archive-date=2019-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=29 December 2018|title=Syrian army says it has entered key city|website=cnn.com|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/12/29/syria-army-manbij-barbara-starr-dnt-tsr-vpx.cnn}}</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/syria-army-enters-manbij-state-media-181228092705808.html Syria army enters Kurdish-held Manbij: state media: Reported troop entry into Manbij comes after Kurdish YPG asked for government help in preventing a 'Turkish invasion'.] Aljazeera, 28 December 2018.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46701095 Syria war: Government forces 'enter Manbij' amid Turkey threats.] BBC, 28 December 2018.</ref>

On 15 January 2019, [[2019 Manbij bombing|a suicide attack]] in Manbij claimed by ISIL left at least 19 casualties. Among them, four U.S. military personnel were reported dead and three wounded. One of the dead was a [[U.S. Army]] soldier, one was [[U.S. Navy]] sailor [[Shannon M. Kent]], one was a U.S. [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] civilian working in support of the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]], and one was an employee of Valiant Integrated Services, a [[Private military company|contractor]] supporting American operations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-identifies-three-of-the-four-americans-killed-in-syria-suicide-bombing/2019/01/18/5c9f31b8-1b1e-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html|title=Americans slain in Syria attack: A Green Beret, a former SEAL and two language specialists|date=January 18, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref>

During the [[2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria]], following the withdraw of US and other Western troops from northern Syria, the Syrian Arab Army and [[Russian Military Police]] entered Manbij to preempt a Turkish and TFSA offensive.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syria-says-government-soldiers-enter-manbij-after-us-troops-withdraw/2019/10/15/d494405a-eeb8-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html|title=Russia patrolling between Turkish and Syrian forces after U.S. troops withdraw|last=Fahim|first=Kareem|date=October 15, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref>
	
On 6 December 2024, the [[Syrian National Army]] launched [[Manbij offensive (2024)|an offensive]] on Manbij against the Syrian Democratic Forces.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2024/12/8/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%AC-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%81 | title=المعارضة السورية تسيطر على منبج بريف حلب وجبلة باللاذقية}}</ref> On 9 December 2024, it was reported, that the SNA took control of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syrian opposition groups take control of Manbij in northern Syria, says Turkish security source |url=https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/middleeastnews/822913/syrian-opposition-groups-take-control-of-manbij-in-northern-syria-says/en |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=LBCIV7 |language=en}}</ref> Since the takeover, Manbij has faced a sharp rise in security incidents and looting, mirroring trends in other areas under SNA control. The [[Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|SOHR]] reported that SNA militants had looted the houses of Kurdish residents.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=8 February 2025 |title=“SOHR camera” captures the house of a “Kurdish” civilian in Manbij City after the contents of the house were stolen by factions of the “National Army” |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/355427/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights |language=en-CA}}</ref> On February 3, 2025, a [[Car bomb|VBIED]] detonated near the Hassin station, just outside Manbij City, killing at least 19 people. The following day, residents of the city conducted a [[general strike]] to protest the negligence of pro-Turkish factions in maintaining security and order.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 February 2025 |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-3-2025 |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=4 February 2025 |title=Following recent events - People start strike in Manbij |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/355103/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights |language=}}</ref>

==Ecclesiastical history==

[[Lequien]] names ten bishops of Hierapolis.<ref>''Or. Christ.'' '''II''' 925-8</ref> Among the best-known are [[Alexander of Hierapolis (Syria)|Alexander of Hierapolis]], an ardent advocate of [[Nestorianism]], who died in exile in Egypt; [[Philoxenus of Mabbug]], a famous [[Miaphysite]] scholar; and [[Stephen of Hierapolis]] (c. 600), author of a life of [[St. Golindouch]]. In the sixth century, the metropolitan see had nine suffragan bishoprics.<ref>''Échos d'Orient'' '''14''':145</ref> Chabot mentions thirteen [[West Syrian Rite|Jacobite]] archbishops from the ninth to the twelfth century.<ref>''Revue de l'orient chrétien'' '''VI''':200</ref> One Latin bishop, Franco, in 1136, is known.<ref name='ce'>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Hierapolis (2)|display=Hierapolis}}</ref><ref>Lequien, III, 1193</ref>

'''Hierapolis in Syria''' is the nominal see of three Catholic successor titular sees:
* the Latin Catholic Metropolitan titular archbishopric of [[Hierapolis of the Romans]]
* the Melkite Catholic Titular Archbishopric of [[Hierapolis of the Melkites]]
* the Syrian Titular Bishopric of [[Hierapolis of the Syrians]]

== Geography ==

=== Climate ===
Manbij has a [[cold semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSk'') with influences of a continental climate during winter with hot dry summers and cool wet and occasionally snowy winters. The average high temperature in January is {{convert|7.8|°C|1}} and the average high temperature in August is {{convert|38.1|°C|1}}. The snow falls usually in January, February or December.

{{Weather box
|location = Manbij
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan high C = 7.9
|Feb high C = 10.5
|Mar high C = 15.6
|Apr high C = 23.4
|May high C = 28.3
|Jun high C = 34.3
|Jul high C = 37.7
|Aug high C = 38.1
|Sep high C = 33.2
|Oct high C = 26.3
|Nov high C = 15.3
|Dec high C = 9.1
|Jan low C =  -1.2
|Feb low C =  -0.6
|Mar low C =  4.3
|Apr low C =  7.2
|May low C = 12.5
|Jun low C = 15.1
|Jul low C = 19.9
|Aug low C = 20.9
|Sep low C = 16.3
|Oct low C = 12.4
|Nov low C =  6.4
|Dec low C =  -0.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 69
|Feb precipitation mm = 54
|Mar precipitation mm = 38
|Apr precipitation mm = 28
|May precipitation mm = 8
|Jun precipitation mm = 3
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
|Sep precipitation mm = 3
|Oct precipitation mm = 25
|Nov precipitation mm = 36
|Dec precipitation mm = 58
|year precipitation mm=
|Jan snow days = 2.5
|Feb snow days = 1.5
|Mar snow days = 0
|Apr snow days = 0
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0
|Dec snow days = 2
|Jan rain days= 10
|Feb rain days= 6
|Mar rain days= 4
|Apr rain days= 4
|May rain days= 3
|Jun rain days= 1
|Jul rain days= 0
|Aug rain days= 0
|Sep rain days= 1
|Oct rain days= 3
|Nov rain days= 5
|Dec rain days= 9
|Jan humidity = 71
|Feb humidity = 63
|Mar humidity = 56
|Apr humidity = 52
|May humidity = 38
|Jun humidity = 36
|Jul humidity = 31
|Aug humidity = 31
|Sep humidity = 39
|Oct humidity = 43
|Nov humidity = 51
|Dec humidity = 70
|source = Weather Online, Weather Base, BBC Weather and My Weather 2, retrieved 10 November 2012}}

== Transportation ==

Manbij is served by two major roads, Route M4 and Route 216.

There is no airport near Manbij, the nearest is in [[Aleppo]].

==Notable person==
*[[Theodora (wife of Justinian I)|Empress Theodora]]<ref>{{cite book|author=James Allan Evans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-4NxLnRKFgC&q=mabbug+was+her+birthplace&pg=PA8|title=The Power Game in Byzantium: Antonina and the Empress Theodora|publisher=A&C Black|year=2011|page=9|isbn=9781441120403}}</ref>
*[[Kevork Ajemian]], Syrian-Armenian writer, journalist, novelist, theorist and public activist

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/tsg/index.htm The Syrian Goddess] (1913) at sacred-texts.com
* [[F. R. Chesney]], ''Euphrates Expedition'' (1850)
* [[W. F. Ainsworth]], ''Personal Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition'' (1888)
* [[Eduard Sachau|E. Sachau]], ''Reise in Syrien, &c.'' (1883)
* [[D. G. Hogarth]] in ''Journal of Hellenic Studies'' (1909)
*{{cite book|author=Henry Maundrell|title=A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, at Easter, A.D. 1697: To which is Added an Account of the Author's Journey to the Banks of the Euphrates at Beer, and to the Country of Mesopotamia|url=https://archive.org/details/ajourneyfromale00maungoog|year=1836|publisher=S. G. Simpkins|location=Boston}} 271 pages
*{{Citation|title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft|first1=Guy|last1=le Strange|year=1890|publisher=Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]]}} p.&nbsp;36, 39, 42, 500
* {{cite book | title = A History of the Early Medieval Siege, C. 450-1220 | year = 2009 | publisher = Boydell & Brewer Ltd | last = Purton | first = Peter Fraser | isbn = 9781843834489}}
* {{cite book | title = The Chronicle of Ibn Al-Athir for the Crusading Period from Al-Kamil Fi'L-Ta'Rikh.: The Years 491-541/1097-1146 the Coming of the Franks and the Muslim Response | year = 2010 | publisher = Ashgate Publishing, Ltd | last = Richards | first = D. S. | isbn = 9780754669500}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Manbij}}

{{coord|36|31|39|N|37|57|19|E|display=title|region:SY_type:city}}

{{Aleppo Governorate|manbij}}
{{Cities of Syria}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Archaeological sites in Aleppo Governorate]]
[[Category:Cities in Syria]]
[[Category:Populated places in Manbij District]]
[[Category:Circassian communities in Syria]]