Al-Sarkha (Bakhah)
Al-Sarkha
ܒܟܥܐ - בכעא الصرخة, بخعة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Coordinates: 33°53′4″N 36°33′46″E / 33.88444°N 36.56278°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq Governorate |
| District | Yabroud District |
| Nahiyah | Yabroud |
| Population (2004 census) | |
• Total | 1,405 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Sarkha, Bakhʽah or Bakh'a (Western Neo-Aramaic: ܒܟܥܐ - בכעא lit. 'to cry or to weep', Arabic: الصرخة or بخعة) is a Syrian village in the Yabroud District of the Rif Dimashq Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Sarkha had a population of 1,405 in the 2004 census. The village, inhabited by Sunni Muslims of Aramean descent, it was vastly damaged during the Syrian Civil War, and most of the inhabitants fled to other parts of Syria or to Lebanon as refugees. As of 1 February 2025, the village is completely uninhabited. It is one of the only three remaining villages where Western Neo-Aramaic is spoken, alongside Maaloula and Jubb'adin.
Following their conversion to Islam in the 18th century, the inhabitants of Bakh'a underwent a religious transformation, shifting from being exclusively Christian to entirely Muslim.