Tell Khalid


Tell Khalid or Tall Khalid is an archaeological mound in Gaziantep Province, Turkey. It is situated along the eastern or upper bank of the Sajur River and immediately east of the village of Asmacik. At the summit of the mound are the remains of a medieval castle. During the 12th century, the castle was contested at times by the Crusaders, Zengids and Ayyubids..

Location

Tell Khalid is situated in Turkey at the head of the Sajur River, a tributary of the Euphrates. It is approximately northeast of Aleppo in Syria. In the late 19th century, it was described as a "remarkable and chiefly artificial" tell, shaped like a "truncated cone". Its base measured and its height was above sea level. The Turkish village of Asmacik is located just west of the mound.

History

On 29 November 1114, an earthquake devastated Tell Khalid, along with numerous other places across the region of Aleppo. It was damaged in another earthquake in October–December 1138. In the autumn or winter of 1150, it was captured by the Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din from the County of Edessa, a Crusader state, which was entirely conquered by the Zengids and other Muslim powers by July 1151. On 17 May 1183, Saladin, a former emir of Nur ad-Din, turned Ayyubid sultan, captured Tell Bashir as part of his general movement to capture Aleppo, which he besieged four days later, from the Zengids. Saladin's brother, Buri, had already been besieging Tell Khalid, but its town and fortress surrendered without fighting upon Saladin's arrival there. It was thereafter bestowed to Badr ad-Din Dildirim al-Yaruqi, the Turkmen lord of nearby Tell Bashir and ally of Saladin. He continued to hold Tell Bashir well after the death of Saladin, and into the 12th century during the latter's son az-Zahir Ghazi's rule over the Emirate of Aleppo, which included Tell Bashir. By 1218, it was firmly in the possession of az-Zahir Ghazi's son and successor, al-Aziz Muhammad. There is scant information about Tell Khalid in the historical record after the Ayyubid era.