Sarmin (Arabic: سَرْمِين, romanized: Sarmīn also spelled Sarmeen) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located 15 kilometers southeast of Idlib. It has an altitude of about 390 meters. Nearby localities include Binnish to the north, Talhiyah to the northeast, Afs to the east, Saraqib to the southeast, al-Nayrab to the south and Qminas to southwest. The Taftanaz Military Airbase is located 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) to the northeast.
Sarmin was the site of a major military confrontation between the Crusaders and the Seljuk Turks. In the 13th century the town was celebrated, though small, and the inhabitants were Ismailis, according to Yaqut al-Hamawi.[3] The Ayyubid ruler of Hama and scholar Abu'l-Fida described Sarmin as a town with much land and dependencies, with very fertile soil. The town had a Friday mosque and lacked walls.[3] In 1355 Sarmin was visited by Ibn Battuta, who wrote of the abundance of trees, mostly olives, growing there. Soap-making was widely practiced, and their "brick soap" was exported to Damascus and Cairo. In addition, a perfumed soap, colored red and yellow, was produced. Cotton products were also made. He also made reference to a "fine" mosque with nine domes.[3]
Sarmin was shelled during the Syrian Civil War, and one of its mosques was severely damaged.[4] On August 12, 2017, unidentified people killed seven White Helmets in a raid on their office here.[5] A school was hit by artillery, killing 5 children on January 1, 2020.[6]
Syria
