Reasons and Factors Behind the Founding of Sere Kaniye
The city of “Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ayn) is one of the oldest historical cities in Upper Mesopotamia, and it was “built across successive historical stages, emerging over thousands of years with its modern development taking shape due to historical, natural, strategic, and economic factors and reasons, including:
Rich Water Resources: As we previously mentioned, this was the primary reason and the evidence lies in its name “Sere Kaniye” due to the abundance of springs (which means in Kurdish “Head of the Spring” or “Source of the Spring”), as it is located on the largest springs feeding the Khabur River, such as Ayn al-Zarqa, Ayn al-Panos, Ayn al-Hosan, and Ayn al-Kibrit, which transformed it into a green oasis suitable for human settlement and agriculture since the Neolithic era around 8000 BC.
Strategic Location: Its location along ancient trade routes that connected the northern Jazira region of the Euphrates with the cities of Kurdistan, the cities of Mesopotamia, and Baghdad, as well as modern routes, made it a vital strategic center and station for successive tribes and civilizations in ancient and modern times.
Agricultural and Pastoral Importance: The availability of water and vast lands made it across the ages an attraction zone for agricultural activities such as cultivating wheat and cotton, and pastures for tribes and clans (such as the Milli Tribal Federation during the Ottoman era).
Fortification and Military Defense: Throughout history, its walls and castles were restored or rebuilt by conflicting empires, such as the Sasanian, Byzantine, and Islamic empires, to protect their borders and their control over the trade routes in the Jazira region of the Euphrates.
The Historical Location which left mounds buried with historical and tourist antiquities, most notably the Mitanni capital Washukanni, Tell Halaf, and others.
The Orient Express Railway which passes north of Sere Kaniye and divided Kurdistan into Serkhet and Benkhet, where Sere Kaniye came to lie in the Benkhet section, facilitating settlement and attracting inhabitants.
Emergence
Prior to and during the establishment, the first Kurdish tribes and families inhabited the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ayn) and its countryside, particularly those historically belonging to major tribal alliances, specifically the Milli Federation (the Milli Kurdish Tribal Federation), including prominent figures such as the politician Khalil Beg Ibrahim Pasha al-Milli, the Ma’mo family or the family of Azzo al-Ma’mo Pasha, the Kikan tribe, the Ezidi Sharqiyan, and the Barazi families including Kitkan and Bijan, as well as the Muhajir and Khaljan tribes, the Dudkan tribe, and Kurdish families such as the Al-Rihawi family and the Al-Kello (Kello) family: who are among the ancient and well-known Kurdish families in the city’s old neighborhoods, the Al-Zaza family, which is among the first Kurdish households that settled in the city and engaged in commercial and professional activities, and the Al-Hammo and Al-Ammo families, which are Kurdish families that settled early in the Al-Mahatta neighborhood and the city’s old neighborhoods. These families are credited with the first historical merit in transforming Sere Kaniye into an irrigated agricultural area, as they were the first to introduce diesel engines, drill artesian wells, and install modern pumps for cultivating cotton and wheat in the Khabur Valley.(16)
With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, families of Christian brothers—Armenians and Assyrians—as well as Chechens settled in it.
Since they were fond of industrial craft professions, they played a major role in building the city; they were among the first to plan the construction of the contemporary city, choosing the middle of the city where the main street lies, where the main market was built, along with the Street of Churches containing the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, and the Syriac Catholic Church, with a private school annexed to each church where all the town’s children studied. As for the Chechens, they took the neighborhood south of the main market street as their residence. The city is characterized by the Kurdish settlement in the eastern part of the city, and the Arab settlement in its western part (17).
Some Dates from the Founding of the City of Sere Kaniye
1- Beginning of the Ottoman Founding and the Railways (1900 – 1915)
In 1900, the Ottoman state established headquarters for the military governor above the archaeological site of “Tell al-Fakhiriya”
(the current Ayn al-Hammam area).
2- The Syrian – Turkish Political Division (1921)
Following World War I and the signing of the Ankara Agreement in 1921 between France and Turkey, the historical city was divided into two parts:
The Northern Part: Became inside Turkish territory and was later known as Ceylanpınar. The Southern Part: Remained inside Syrian territory and formed the nucleus of the current city of “Ras al-Ayn/Sere Kanie”
3 Population and Administrative Expansion (1960 – 2004)
The current city was a small village that became in 1900 headquarters for the Ottoman military governor, then became a sub-district center during the French Mandate over Syria, and subsequently became a district center in 1962, officially transforming into an administrative district center in 1964 with sub-districts such as Dirbesiye and Abu Rasin under its jurisdiction.
The city expanded architecturally over a distance exceeding 4 kilometers in length and one kilometer in width; where construction extended east toward the Dirbesiye road, and west toward the Raqqa road, and was geographically confined between the railway to the north and the Khabur springs area to the south.
The city replaced its old mud houses with modern stone and concrete buildings, most of which consisted of a single story; however, in recent years, multi-story buildings appeared, leading its population in the 2004 census statistics to cross the threshold of 80,000 residents in the city and around 177,000 with its countryside, (18)
The Orient Express railway line, which passes north of the city of Ras al-Ayn on the Turkish border, formed a part of daily life for many years, connecting Ras al-Ayn since the 1930s with the city of Aleppo. As for the station itself, it was established in 1940 AD. The first primary school in Ras al-Ayn was built at the end of the 1920s and was inaugurated during the reign of President Taj al-Din al-Hasani. Education in the city was co-educational until the 1980s. There are three private primary schools in Ras al-Ayn in addition to the public schools, and there was also the Qatf al-Zuhour Middle School, which was closed by a decision of the Syrian-Egyptian United government. After the separation of Hasakah from the Mutasarrifate of Deir ez-Zor, Mr. Nasib Sadiq al-Ayoubi was appointed as Mutasarrif of Hasakah, with Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye) later being converted into a sub-district under the administration of Mr. Muhammad al-Ali. In 1964, Ras al-Ayn/Sere Kaniye became an administrative district with the Dirbesiye sub-district and Abu Rasin sub-district under its authority; it borders the Turkish border, extending its boundaries for more than 100 km, and the district’s population according to the 2004 census reached approximately 177,000 residents, with the city’s population at around 80,000 residents. The French entered Ras al-Ayn in May 1922 and established a military barracks (Qashla) in it, which currently includes the site of the Recruitment Directorate, Customs, the Military Intelligence Department, the Water Establishment, the Cultural Center, and the Government Complex Building. The true agricultural revolution in the Ras al-Ayn (Sere Kaniye) region began when the “Asfar & Najjar” company concluded an agreement with the family of Ibrahim Pasha al-Milli to invest in a portion of their agricultural lands. The company relied on modern agricultural techniques including the use of tractors, improved seeds, advanced harvesting tools, and developed irrigation systems. These methods contributed to improving productivity and developing the marketing process, bringing about a qualitative leap in agriculture in the region. Were it not for the agricultural reform decisions and the decisions of the accreditation committees, pursuant to which those projects and lands were seized, the face of Ras al-Ayn and the region would have changed as a result of those projects(19). …To be continued
Episode References:
16- All4Syria Website – Archived: The Kurdish Tribal Reality in the City of Ras al-Ayn January 16, 2016 Hassan Bero : All4Syria
17- From the research of Mr. Muhammad Jazza – Writer and Researcher – Al-Hiwar Magazine – Issue /83/ – Year 31 – 2024 AD – Published on December 23, 2024 on the Kurd Line website
18- Ras al-Ayn – Safia Eid – Arab Encyclopedia Website – Published on October 24, 2026 AD
19- A Glimpse into the Modern History of the City of Sere Kaniye/Ras al-Ayn Bride of the Jazira Website – Mr. Abdul Aziz Muhammad Ayo – Lawyer and Activist
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version:Click here
