Qunaytera
City in southwestern Syria, Golan region, and capital of the Quneitra Governorate. It was settled in Byzantine times and served as a stopover for caravans. Circassians settled in the region in the early 20th century, and made Quneitra their cultural center. The town continued to grow and had more than 20,000 inhabitants before 1967. The city was occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in June 1967, and most of its inhabitants were forced to leave their homes. After the October War (1973) and the War of Attrition (early 1974) Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement under which Quneitra was returned to Syria in June 1974. However, the Syrians found that the city was completely destroyed by the Israeli troops before they left. The city was not rebuilt again and its ruins stand as a witness for Israeli brutality.
