Mardikh

Mardikh is a village in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. It is the nearest village to the site of historical Ebla ("Tel Mardikh"), south east of Idlib. Nearby localities include Saraqib to the north, Kafr Amim to the east, Maardabsah and Khan al-Sabl to the south and Dadikh to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Mardikh had a population of 32,495 in the 2004 census.

Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2012)

Qinnasrin

Qinnasrin, was a historical town in northern Syria. It gained fame as an important religious and cultural centre of Syriac Christians before the coming of Islamic conquests. The ancient Chalcis was the birthplace of 3rd century Neoplatonist philosopher Iamblichus. The town was situated 25 km south west of Aleppo on the west bank of the Queiq River and was connected to Aleppo with a major road during the Roman times.

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) was established by charter in 1975. It started operations in 1977. It is one of 15 such centers supported across the world by the CGIAR*. The dry areas of the developing world occupy some 3 billion hectares (about 19% of total global land area), and are home to one-third of the global population – over 1.7 billion people.

Taftanaz Air Base

Taftanaz Air Base is a Syrian Air Force installation located 1.7 miles south of Taftanaz, Idlib Governorate and 1.8 miles east of Taoum, Idlib Governorate, Syria. Taftanaz is a home to two squadrons of Mil-8/17 Hip helicopters. Led by jihadist fighters from the Al-Nusra Front and a Ahrar al-Sham battalion Syrian rebels overran Taftanaz during the second week in January, 2013.