Early history

Map of Canaan, with the border defined by Numbers 34:1–12 shown in red.

Sadad shown as a Syriac Diocesese in the Middle Ages.

Sadad is an ancient village; it is thought to be the "Zedad" (Hebrew: צְדָד / Tzedad; translated as "Sedada" in the Vulgate) mentioned in the Old Testament (Book of Numbers, 34:8; Book of Ezekiel, 47:15),^[1] on the northeastern boundary of the biblical land of Canaan, the land promised to the Israelites.

Isolated on the edge of the desert, the Aramean (Syriac)^[2][3] community has remained predominantly Syriac Orthodox, including after the Muslim conquest of Syria in the mid-7th century. Aramaic is still spoken as a second language by some people in the village.^[4] Sadad had been an important bishopric in the past. There was a close connection between Sadad and the Monastery of Saint Moses the Abyssinian; according to Istifan al-Duwayhi, some of the monks of that monastery came from Sadad.^[5]

Modern era

In 1838, its inhabitants were noted as being predominantly Syriac Christians.^[6]

In a report of 1881, a French military attaché described the state of insecurity of Sadad, whose inhabitants seemed to suffer attacks from the Bedouins. Despite the tax its inhabitants regularly paid to the tribes that camped in the region, Sadad remained in constant risk of raiding. The inhabitants had therefore created adobe barricades around the village and its surrounding gardens, thus preventing anyone on horseback to enter without dismounting, which an isolated Bedouin rarely did in enemy territory.^[7]

Anthropologist Sulayman Jabbur, writing in the 1980s, noted that most of Sadad's working inhabitants made their income in the textile industry, primarily weaving abayas (robes) and woolen mats for the Bedouin tribesmen of the vicinity.^[8] The Bedouin usually acquired their clothing from villages along the desert fringes, such as Sadad, and the latter's inhabitants sold their products either directly to the Bedouin or indirectly via local merchants.^[8] According to Jabbur, the craft of weaving abayas was an ancient tradition passed down by generation to Sadad's inhabitants.^[8] Sadad was the most important market town for the Bedouin of the region, where they came to purchase clothing, tent equipment, saddles, coffee beans, tea and other supplies.^[9]

During the Syrian Civil War, on 21 October 2013, the town was overrun by Islamist militants reportedly belonging to the al-Nusra Front, who set up loudspeakers in the main square, calling for residents to return to their houses. At least nine people were reported killed, as Syrian Army forces were sent in on 22 October to try and retake the town, sparking fierce resistance from the militants. Locals were unsure as to the reason behind the attack, though medical supplies within the town's hospital were a possibility, as well as the presence of a military depot nearby.^[10] By 28 October, the Syrian Arab Army had taken back control of Sadad. Visiting church leaders and returning villagers found two mass graves of civilians, including women and children, containing 30 bodies. They were suspected of being massacred by al-Nusra Front militants.^[11] Forty-five Christians were killed during the rebel occupation, and several churches were also looted.^[12][13]