Sawran (Arabic: صوران, romanized: Ṣawrān), also spelled Suran, Souran or Sawwaran, is a town in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. Located 22 kilometres (14 mi) north of the city of Aleppo, it is the administrative centre of Nahiya Sawran in Azaz District. Nearby localities include A'zaz and Kafra to the west, Ihtaimlat and Dabiq to the east and Mare' to the south. In the 2004 census, Sawran had a population of 6,988.[1] The town is mainly inhabited by Turkmens.[2]
History
Sawran's history dates back to the Iron Age when it was an Aramaean settlement in the Kingdom of Bit Adini known as "Surunu." In a military campaign against Bit Adini's king Ahuni, the Neo-Assyrian king Shalmaneser III raided and captured Surunu.[3] It later came under the rule of Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III.[4]
During the Syrian civil war, the town saw two massacres of pro-opposition civilians by pro-government regular and irregular forces: on 20 May 2012 (37 civilian casualties) and on 8 February 2018 (30 civilian casualties).[6] The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of the town on 31 May 2015.[7] On 16 October 2016, Turkish-backed rebels captured the town from ISIL.[8][9]