What is "idlib"

Idlib (, also spelled Edlib or Idleb) is a city in northwestern Syria, capital of the Idlib Governorate, and south west of Aleppo. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Idlib had a population of 98,791 (2004 census) and in 2010 the population of Idlib was around 165,000 (2010 census). The inhabitants are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims, although there is a significant Christian minority. Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyeh (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriya, and al-Qusur.

A major agricultural center of Syria, the Idlib area is also historically significant, containing many "dead cities" and man-made tells. Idlib contains the ancient city of Ebla, once the capital of a powerful kingdom. The ancient kingdoms of Nuhašše and Luhuti flourished in the Governorate during the Bronze and Iron ages.