Ariha cherries, the orchards of Idlib

Ariha is a town in the south of Idlib province, on the northern slope of Jabal al-Zawiya, and it is known for its cherries. The trees arrived in the early 1950s, spread in the 1970s, and are now the town’s leading crop. They flower white in April, the orchards turn red in May, and picking runs from late May into June.

Why cherries grow in Ariha

An agricultural engineer from Ariha who spoke to eSyria in 2010 says the mountain supplies the conditions: cold winters, mild springs and no frost at flowering time. The soil is airy, white and moist, and annual rainfall is between 450 and 500 mm.

The mahleb rootstock

Cherry saplings are grafted onto mahaleb cherry rootstock, because mahaleb stands up to drought and insects. In the orchards of Ariha, the cherry branch grows on a mahaleb root. The link is direct. It ties the town to the mahleb entry on this site. Mahleb itself is sold here too, fresh while still green, or dried in the sun and beaten with sticks to free it from the stems.

Which varieties there are

• Baladi: the oldest variety; small, dark red shading to orange.
• Abu Hazz: orange with a black line along its length; flowers late, gives the highest yield and is the favourite of the local market.
• Abu Nuqta: early and red, with a mark at the tip.
• Washneh: small, black and sour; the processing cherry for jam, ice cream and cooking.
• Talyani and Firawni: large and black, the size of an apricot; grown for export.

How much is grown

Figures from Ariha’s agriculture office for 2008 put the orchards at about 5500 hectares and the harvest at 16800 tonnes. Around 10% was eaten locally; the rest went to other provinces and abroad, to Turkey and the Gulf. These figures are old. They predate the war, and we could not find current numbers for area or output. The same source names two problems: drought and trunk borers.

Where and when to eat them

From late May to June, in Ariha and the villages of Jabal al-Zawiya. The cherries are cut from the tree by the stem and brought down to the town’s cherry market; in season they are also sold along the road up Mount Arbaeen. A visitor in April sees orchards white with blossom, not fruit.