ISIS (daash). Successive waves of new settlers from surrounding countrysides and provinces were heavily related to severe drought in late 1950s and 1990s most of them looking for standard jobs and giving up their farming and herding lifestyle. The Mesopotamian variety of Arabic is used in the city; a slight influence of the Aleppo dialect can be noticed as well. Dominated by Sunni Muslims, Christianity in Deir ez-Zor can be traced back to the Apostolic Age, with few active churches and chapels belong to different congregations. The city was also famous for the Deir ez-Zor suspension bridge () which spanned the Euphrates and was destroyed in 2013 during the civil war. The Deir ez-Zor Museum keeps thousands of antiquities collected from nearby archaeological sites in Northern Mesopotamia. Main campuses of Al-Furat University and Aljazeera University are also located there. Many other polytechnic schools and professional institutes provide tertiary education are based in the city as well. The local daily newspaper Al Furat and few other publications are published there and circulated in neighbouring Al-Hasakah and Raqqa governorates. International relations Deir ez-Zor is home to the third Armenian diplomatic mission in Syria; the Honorary Consulate of Armenia, opened on 11 February 2010. Deir ez-Zor Airport is an under-developed domestic and international terminal and important hub mostly connecting with Damascus and destinations in the Persian Gulf region. Twin cities Armavir, Armenia, since October 2010. Climate Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it as hot desert (BWh). See also The epic of Ain Albu Gomaa Haj Fadel Government Armenian genocide Memorial Church, Der Zor Deir ez-Zor suspension bridge Deir ez-Zor Camps Al-Baggara References External links Short history of Deir Ezzor watch "Isti'mariyah – windward between Naples and Baghdad" Cities in Syria Populated places on the Euphrates River Armenian communities in Syria Levant Populated places in Deir ez-Zor District