The town is the administrative center of the Beit Jinn subdistrict, which consists of nine towns, with a combined population of 15,668.[1] The subdistrict has a mixed Sunni and Druze population and contains a Druze religious shrine.[3] Nearby localities include Arnah to the north, Darbal to the northeast, Mazraat Beit Jinn to the east, Harfa to the southeast, and Hader to the southwest. The Nahr al-Awaj river (generally identified with the biblical Pharpar) passes near the town.
Beit Jinn was visited by Andalusian geographer Ibn Jubayr in the late 12th century, during Ayyubid rule. He noted that it was "a village between Darayyah and Baniyas lying among the hills."[4]
In December 2017, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, control of the village was a source of fighting between the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Levant Liberation Committee.[6] Following the Beit Jinn offensive of late 2017, the Syrian government took control of the area. The local rebels surrendered and were allowed to leave.[7]
^Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 139
^The Associated Press (December 25, 2017). "Syrian troops capture new areas near Israeli-occupied Golan". The Washington Post. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reported that Syrian troops and their allies captured Monday three new areas from al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee [...] The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Right said the fighters are now besieged in the village of Beit Jin and nearby areas after a 10-day intense offensive.[dead link]
Syria
