As Salamiya

As Salamiya (äs-säläm`ēyä), town (1988 est. pop. 47,000), W central Syria. It is a transportation center situated in a fertile plain where cereals, vegetables, and cotton are grown. As Salamiya was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th cent. and built up under the early Abbasid caliphate. The Ismailis chose the town as their center c.860. It was later destroyed (903) by the Karmathians and then came under Fatimid control. Taken by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th cent., the town declined until it was resettled by Ismailis in the 19th cent. The name also appears as Selemiya.