Manbij (Ar. Manbij; Kurd. Minbic; Ott. and Mod. Turk. Menbic; Assyr. Nappigi/Nampīgi; Gr. Bambyce, Hierapolis) is an ancient city located in northern Syria, to the northeast of Aleppo and west of the river Euphrates. Because of its location at an important crossroads, it controls access routes from northern Syria towards the Jazīra and Iraq, from crossing-points on the great bend of the Middle Euphrates to the north upstream and the south downstream.

The city of Manbij and the surrounding region have served as an important agricultural zone since antiquity. In the e…