) , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption =

Tartus corniche
Port of Tartus • Tartus beach and boulevard

Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa The Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa ( ar, كاتدرائية طرطوس) was a Catholic cathedral in the city of Tartus, Syria. Erected during the 12th century, it has been described by historians as "the best-preserved religious structure ...

• Al-Assad Stadium

Citadel of Tartus The Citadel of Tartus, ( ar, قلعة طرطوس), is a historic building now mostly a residential area by the Mediterranean Sea in Tartus, Syria. It was one of the most important fortresses in the county of Tripoli. History During the First ...

, image_seal = Emblem of Tartus.svg , seal_size = 60px , mapsize1 = TarusSeadefence.jpg , pushpin_map = Syria#Mediterranean east#Asia , pushpin_label_position = bottom , pushpin_mapsize = 250 , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Syria , pushpin_relief = 1 , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 =

Governorate A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is often used in translation from ...

, subdivision_name1 = Tartus Governorate , subdivision_type2 =

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

, subdivision_name2 = Tartus District , subdivision_type3 =

Subdistrict A subdistrict or sub-district is an administrative division that is generally smaller than a district. Equivalents * Administrative posts of East Timor, formerly Portuguese-language * Kelurahan, in Indonesia * Mukim, a township in Brunei, In ...

, subdivision_name3 = Tartus Subdistrict , leader_title = Governor , leader_name = Abdel Halim Khalil , established_title = Established , established_date = 2nd millennium BC , founder =

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

ns , population_as_of = 2004 census , population_footnotes = , population_total = 115,769 , population_density_km2 = auto , population_metro = 162,980 , population_density_metro_km2 = auto , population_density_sq_mi = auto , population_density_metro_sq_mi = auto , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank2_title = Religions , population_demonym = ar, طرطوسي, Ṭarṭūsi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 22 , area_magnitude = , unit_pref =Metric , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = 20 , area_water_km2 = , area_total_sq_mi = , area_land_sq_mi = , area_water_sq_mi = , area_water_percent = , area_urban_km2 = , area_urban_sq_mi = , area_metro_km2 = , area_metro_sq_mi = , area_blank1_title = , area_blank1_km2 = , area_blank1_sq_mi = , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST =

EEST Eastern European Summer Time (EEST) is one of the names of the UTC+03:00 time zone, which is 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in some European and Middle Eastern countries, which makes i ...

, utc_offset_DST = +3 , blank_name =

Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

, blank_info =

CSa CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

, area_code = Country code: 963, City code: 43 , geocode = C5221 , websit
eTartus
Tartus ( ar, طَرْطُوس /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''Ṭarṭūs''; known in the

County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, ...

as Tortosa and also transliterated from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Tartous) is a city on the Mediterranean coast of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. It is the second largest port city in Syria (after

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

), and the largest city in Tartus Governorate. Until the 1970s, Tartus was under the governance of Latakia Governorate, then it became a separate governorate. The population is 115,769 (2004 census). In the summer it is a vacation spot for many Syrians. Many vacation compounds and resorts are located in the region. The port holds a small Russian naval base.

Etymology

The Phoenician founders named the city Antarados (from el, Αντιαράδος, Anti-Arados → Antarados or ''Anti-Aradus'', meaning "The town facing Arwad"). In

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, its name became ''Tortosa''. The original name survives in its

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

form as ''Ṭarṭūs'' ( ar, طَرْطُوس), from which the

''Tartous'' and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

''Tartus'' derive.

History

Phoenician Antaradus

The History of Tartus goes back to the 2nd millennium BC when it was founded as a

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

Aradus ''Aradus'' is a genus of true bugs in the family Aradidae, the flat bugs. It is distributed worldwide, mainly in the Holarctic.Larivière, M. C. and A. Larochelle. (2006)An overview of flat bug genera (Hemiptera, Aradidae) from New Zealand, wit ...

.Tartus
Encyclopaedia of the Orient. Retrieved 2007, 06-26. The colony was known as Antaradus. Not much remains of the

n Antaradus, the mainland settlement that was linked to the more important and larger settlements of Aradus, off the shore of Tartus, and the nearby site of

Amrit Amrit ( ar, عمريت), the classical Marathus ( grc-gre, Μάραθος, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat ( phn, 𐤌𐤓𐤕, ) was the northernmost imp ...

Greco-Roman and Byzantine

Tartus, campanella d'oro lavorata a traforo, 390 dc ca

Siria, tartous, maschera funebre, I sec ac

The city was called Antaradus in

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

reports that, under Roman Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

, Cymatius, the Orthodox bishop of Antaradus and also of

(whose names indicate that they were neighbouring towns facing each other) was driven out by the

Arians Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...

. At the

First Council of Constantinople The First Council of Constantinople ( la, Concilium Constantinopolitanum; grc-gre, Σύνοδος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in AD 381 b ...

in 381, Mocimus appears as bishop of Aradus. At the time of the

Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church t ...

(431), some sources speak of a Musaeus as bishop of Aradus and Antaradus, while others mention only Aradus or only Antaradus. Alexander was at the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, B ...

in 451 as bishop of Antaradus, Paulus as bishop of Aradus, while, at a synod held at Antioch shortly before, Paulus took part as bishop of both Aradus and Antaradus. In 458, Atticus signed, as bishop of Aradus, the letter of the bishops of the province of Phoenicia Prima to Byzantine Emperor

Leo I the Thracian Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" ( la, Thrax; grc-gre, ο Θραξ),; grc-gre, Μακέλλης), referencing the murder of Aspar and his son. was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia ...

protesting about the murder of

Proterius of Alexandria Hieromartyr Proterius of Alexandria (died 457) was Patriarch of Alexandria from 451 to 457. He had been appointed by the Council of Chalcedon to replace the deposed Dioscorus. History Proterius was elected by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 t ...

. Theodorus or Theodosius, who died in 518, is mentioned as bishop of Antaradus in a letter from the bishops of the province regarding

Severus of Antioch Severus the Great of Antioch ( Greek: Σεβῆρος; syr, ܣܘܝܪܝܘܣ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ), also known as Severus of Gaza or Crown of Syrians ( Syriac: ܬܓܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܥܝܐ; Tagha d'Suryoye; Arabic: تاج السوريين; Taj al-Suriyy ...

that was read at a synod held by Patriarch Mennas of Constantinople. The acts of the

Second Council of Constantinople The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and re ...

in 553 were signed by Asyncretius as bishop of Aradus. At the time of the Crusades, Antaradus, by then called Tartus or Tortosa, was a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

diocese, whose bishop also held the titles of Aradus and Maraclea (perhaps Rachlea). It was united to the see of Famagosta in Cyprus in 1295. No longer a residential bishopric, Antaradus is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

. The city was favored by Constantine for its devotion to the cult of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. The first chapel to be dedicated to the Virgin have been built here in the 3rd century.

Early Islamic era

Islamic rule was established in Syria in 634. In the years before, Arab merchants would spread the word of Islam and locals embraced the new religion while others continued to practice their respective faiths. During the

Arab conquest of the Levant The Muslim conquest of the Levant ( ar, فَتْحُ الشَّام, translit=Feth eş-Şâm), also known as the Rashidun conquest of Syria, occurred in the first half of the 7th century, shortly after the rise of Islam."Syria." Encyclopædia Br ...

, caliphate armies conquered Tartus under the leadership of

Ubada ibn as-Samit 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit ( ar, عبادة بن الصامت ) was a companion of Muhammad and a well-respected chieftain of the Ansar tribes confederation. He participated in almost every battle during Muhammad's era. His official title, according to ...

in 636. While Ubadah occupied Tartus,

Mu'awiya I Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the deat ...

came to the city, and built an

Amsar Amṣar ( ar, أمصار), singular miṣr, are the 'garrison towns' or settlements that were established by Arab Muslim warriors in conquered lands, in the first centuries of Islam. The first were created under Caliph Omar during his reign from 63 ...

complex within the city, while also tasking fiefs to the garrison commanders. Tartus hosted

Khadijah Khadija, Khadeeja or Khadijah ( ar, خديجة, Khadīja) is an Arabic feminine given name, the name of Khadija bint Khuwaylid, first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In 1995, it was one of the three most popular Arabic feminine names in th ...

, the wife of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

when she came with her father

Khuwaylid ibn Asad Khuwaylid ibn Asad ( ar, خويلد بن أسد) was a member of the Arab Banu Quraysh tribe and is recognized for being the father of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Family He was the son of Asad ibn Abd-Al-U ...

Crusades

The Crusaders called the city Antartus, and also Tortosa. It was captured in 1099 during the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

, Frankish forces captured Tortosa in 1099. Once the land was seized, the cathedral was built over the spot of a Byzantine church. but it was later taken over by Muslims, before it was recaptured by

Raymond of Saint-Gilles Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), sometimes called Raymond of Saint-Gilles or Raymond I of Tripoli, was a powerful noble in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He was the Count of ...

in February 1102 after two weeks of siege, then it was left in 1105 to his son

Alfonso Jordan Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso was ...

and was known as Tortosa. In 1123 the Crusaders built the semi-fortified

over a Byzantine church that was popular with pilgrims. Tartus fortress chapel 0790

In 1152, Tortosa was handed to the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, who used it as a military headquarters. They engaged in some major building projects, constructing a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

around 1165 with a large chapel and an elaborate keep, surrounded by thick double concentric walls. The Templars' mission was to protect the city and surrounding lands, some of which had been occupied by Christian settlers, from Muslim attack.

Nur ad-Din Zangi Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī (; February 1118 – 15 May 1174), commonly known as Nur ad-Din (lit. "Light of the Faith" in Arabic), was a member of the Zengid dynasty, which ruled the Syrian province (''Shām'') of the Seljuk Empire. He reig ...

captured Tartus from the Crusaders for a brief time before he lost it again. The city of Tortosa was recaptured by

Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt an ...

in 1188, and the main Templar headquarters relocated to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

. However, in Tortosa, some Templars were able to retreat into the keep, which they continued to use as a base for the next 100 years. They steadily added to its fortifications until it also fell, in 1291. Tortosa was the last outpost of the Templars on the Syrian mainland, after which they retreated to a garrison on the nearby island of

Mamluks Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

, the city lost its prestige, which it regained only under the Ottoman rule.Cummins 2011, p. 94.

Ottoman era

During the

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

, the city gained importance mainly due to trade with Cyprus and Europe. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, it became one of the coastal defense points due to its strategic port. In 1832, at the beginning of the First Egyptian-Ottoman War, the city and its surroundings were conquered by Muhammad Ali Pasha, then ruler of Egypt. In 1839, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

decided to reconquer its Syrian coastal territories from Egypt with the support of Great Britain. In 1840, during the Syrian War, British frigates HMS , HMS and , with the help of a landing force of marines, attacked the citadel in Tartus. Despite heavy losses among the marines, the British were unable to capture the fort. After the war, the city returned to the Ottoman Empire, where it remained until 1918.

Modern era

On May 23, 2016, the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

claimed responsibility for three

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

s at a bus station in Tartus, which had remained largely unaffected since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011. Purportedly targeting Alawite gatherings, the bombs killed 48 people. In

Jableh ) , settlement_type = City , motto = , image_skyline = Jableh Collage.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = General view of city and port • Roman Amphitheater• Al ...

, similarly insulated, another four bombers killed over a hundred people.

Geography

The city lies on the eastern coast of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

bordered by the

Syrian Coastal Mountain Range The Coastal Mountain Range ( ar, سلسلة الجبال الساحلية ''Silsilat al-Jibāl as-Sāḥilīyah'') also called Al-Anṣariyyah is a mountain range in northwestern Syria running north–south, parallel to the coastal plain.Federal ...

to the east.

Arwad Arwad, the classical Aradus ( ar, أرواد), is a town in Syria on an eponymous island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative center of the Arwad Subdistrict (''nahiyah''), of which it is the only locality.limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

and, in certain places around the town of

Souda Souda ( el, Σούδα) is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of ...

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

Climate

Tartus has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen (''

Csa CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

'') with mild, wet winters, hot and dry summers, and short transition periods in April and October. The hills to the east of the city create a cooler climate with even higher rainfall. Tartus is known for its relatively mild weather and high precipitation compared to inland Syria.

Economy

Industry and navy

Tartus is an important trade center in Syria and has one of the two main ports of the country on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

. The city port is experiencing major expansion as a lot of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

i imports come through the port of Tartus to aid reconstruction efforts in Iraq. There is a cement plant in the city with a production capacity of 6.5 thousand tons of cement per day. The

pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate symptoms. ...

is also represented in the city, since the beginning of the conflict in the country, seven pharmaceutical factories have been opened and another 3 are under construction. Food, chemical and wood processing industries are also represented in the urban industrial zone. The service sector is one of the most attractive sectors for employment in the city of Tartus. As a high percentage of its inhabitants with good scientific qualifications work in the service sector, and they are distributed between the public and private sectors, although the participation of the private sector is still below the required level compared to other coastal cities in the Mediterranean. Also in the city there is a recording and distribution studio King Recording, which was previously located in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

and was forced to move from there due to the war.

Tourism

Tartus is a favorite destination for tourists and a beautiful modern city with its buildings, markets, modern resorts, tourist facilities and port. As for beaches of Tartous, it is a beautiful extension of the Syrian coast, with a length of about 90 km, with soft sand, chalets, hotels, cafes and marine restaurants that are scattered on it. The city has seen some investments in the last few years. The largest being ''Antaradus'' and Porto waterfront development.

Russian naval base

Tartus hosts a

Soviet-era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

naval supply and maintenance base, under a 1971 agreement with Syria, which is still staffed by Russian naval personnel. Tartus is the last

Russian military The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

base outside the former Soviet Union, and its only Mediterranean fueling spot, sparing Russia's warships the trip back to their

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

bases through straits in Turkey, a NATO member.

Culture

Art and festivals

Many cultural and literary events, art festivals and theater are held in the city, and in the summer, the activities of the Tartous Art Festival are held in the presence of distinguished Syrian and Arab artists, in addition to a tourist festival called Antaradus. Assi Rahbani and

Mansour Rahbani Mansour Rahbani ( ar, منصور الرحباني, Manṣūr Al-Raḥbāni; 17 March 1925 – 13 January 2009) was a Lebanese composer, musician, poet, philosopher, thinker and producer, known as one of the Rahbani brothers, and the bro ...

were visiting Tartous very often because of their admiration for the place in which they stayed and the good memories they carried from the house in which they stayed in a waterfront, they immortalized that visit by composing the song ''Shabab Al-Hilweh'' in Tartous sung by Nasri Shamseddine. Among the composers whose name is associated with Tartous and Husayn al-Baher is the musician Safwan Bahlawan Ibn Arwad who has a distinguished performance in the pub and his artistic presence on the Arab art scene. The natives also include the singer Farrah Yousef, finalist of the singing competition ''

Arab Idol ''Arab Idol'' is an Arabic television show, based on the popular British show '' Pop Idol'' created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and developed by Fremantle Media and recorded in Beirut, Lebanon. The first season premiered on 9 December ...

'' and

Taim Hasan Taim Hasan ( ar, تيم حسن) (born February 17, 1976) is a prominent Syrian actor, known for his distinct dramatic roles in Syria and the Arab world. Hasan achieved fame in Syria through a number of highly acclaimed and extremely successful Sy ...

, an actor known known for his dramatic roles in Syria and the Arab world. Many poets and writers lived in Tartous, including

Saadallah Wannous Saadallah Wannous ( ar, سعد الله ونوس) (1941 – 15 May 1997) was a Syrian playwright, writer and editor on Arabic theater. He was born in the village of Hussein al-Bahr, near Tartous, where he received his early education. He studied ...

, Muhammad Omran, Rasha Omran and Nadim Muhammad, and there are writers who hold their literary seminars and lectures in the city cultural center.

Museum

St. Mary's Cathedral was originally built in the 12th century as a Templar church. The cathedral was used as a mosque after the Muslim capture of the city, then as a barracks by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

. It was renovated under the French Mandate and since 1956, the building has housed the National Museum of Tartus, which exhibits antiquities recovered from Amrit and many other places in the region. Tartus Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa 3642

Tartus Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa 3642

In September 2021, the Directorate-General of Antiquities has begun a comprehensive renovation and fixing operations of architectural elements that were subjected to fragmentation at the National Museum of Tartus.

Sports

Tartus is the home city of only one sports club:

Al-Sahel SC Al-Sahel Sports Club ( ar, نادي الساحل الرياضي) is a Syrian professional multi-sports club based in Tartus, mostly known for its football team that competes in the Syrian League 1st Division. History Club's women's basketball ...

, founded in 1971. 4 types of sports are being practiced by the club including: football, basketball, table tennis and bodybuilding. The club plays in both stadiums in the city: Municipal (capacity 1,300) and Bassel Al-Assad (capacity 8,000). In 2018, Al-Sahel promoted to the

Syrian Premier League The Syrian Premier League ( ar, الدوري السوري الممتاز) is a professional association football league in Syria and the top division in of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 12 teams and operates on a system ...

for the first time in their history. In the 2020-21 season, they were relegated and have been playing in the

Syrian League 1st Division Syrian League 1st Division ( ar, الدوري السوري الدرجة الأولى) is the second division in football in Syria. It is operated by the Syrian Football Association (SFA). The league began to play in 1960s. After each season the ...

ever since. The women's basketball team competes at the top level of the Syrian basketball league.

Education

A number of colleges affiliated to Tishreen University in Latakia, such as the College of Arts and the College of Technical Engineering, were opened as part of the government's policy to expand higher education among the various Syrian cities.Tishreen University - About
/ref> The city also has a number of institutes, secondary schools and primary schools affiliated to the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, in addition to many private educational institutes and secondary schools.

Local infrastructure

Tartous has expanded and developed a lot like other cities Syria. The city has recently witnessed a great urban development, which was manifested in the significant increase in the number of organized suburbs, not to mention the increase in the city's organizational plan to include new areas. It is worth noting that there are beautiful gardens in the city that constitute a real outlet for the people of the city, such as Al-Basel Park and others. In addition to the new sea corniche, which gives the city a special charm. The city attracts many people from other Syrian governorates, Europe and Arab countries to spend time here and enjoy the charming sea view. In this unforgettable city, its individuality is clear and has its own character, as it is surrounded by mountains and forests that embrace the most beautiful landscapes of nature.

Transportation

Tartus has a developed road system. Tartus and Latakia are connected by the M1 international highway, and the city is connected to

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

by the M5 highway via

Homs ar, حمصي, Himsi , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_t ...

. The establishment of an international road linking Tartus with Iraq and the Arab Gulf through the

Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ar, بادية الشام ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe covering of the Middle East, including parts of so ...

was recently studied, as it is the shortest road connecting the Arab Gulf to the Mediterranean and thus Europe from the Port of Tartus. The main commercial coastal road of the city is Al-Thawra Street, named after 1963 March Revolution. The railway network operated by

Chemins de Fer Syriens General Establishment of Syrian Railways ( ar, المؤسسة العامة للخطوط الحديدية, french: Chemins de fer syriens, CFS) is the national railway operator for the state of Syria, subordinate to the Ministry of Transportation. ...

connects Tartus with other cities in Syria, although currently only the

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

-Tartus and Tartus- Al Akkari-

passenger connections are in service. The restoration of the rail link with Iraq ( IRR) and the proposal to extend the railway from Al-Qaim in Iraq through Al-Bukamal in Syria to

for a total distance of 270 kilometers and thence to Tartus are currently (2022) under discussion.

Main sights

Tartus Fortezza dei Templari - GAR - 3-01

The historic centre of Tartus consists of more recent buildings built on and inside the walls of the Crusader-era Templar fortress, whose moat still separates this old town from the modern city on its northern and eastern sides. Outside the fortress few historic remains can be seen, with the exception of the former Romanesque-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

cathedral Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Tartus, from the 12th century. Amrit Santuario Fenicio - GAR - 2-01

Tartus and the surrounding area are rich in antiquities and archeological sites. Various important and well known sites are located within a 30-minute drive from Tartus. These attractions include: * The old city of Tartus. * Margat Castle, north of the city. * The historic town of

Safita Safita ( ar, صَافِيتَا '; phn, 𐤎‬𐤐𐤕‬𐤄, ''Sōpūte'') is a city in the Tartous Governorate, northwestern Syria, located to the southeast of Tartous and to the northwest of Krak des Chevaliers. It is situated on the tops ...

. *

Arwad Arwad, the classical Aradus ( ar, أرواد), is a town in Syria on an eponymous island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative center of the Arwad Subdistrict (''nahiyah''), of which it is the only locality.Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa The Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa ( ar, كاتدرائية طرطوس) was a Catholic cathedral in the city of Tartus, Syria. Erected during the 12th century, it has been described by historians as "the best-preserved religious structure ...

, now used as the city museum. * Beit el-Baik Palace. * Sheikh Saleh al-Ali shrine in

Al-Shaykh Badr Al-Shaykh Badr ( ar, الشيخ بدر, also spelled ''Sheikh Bader'') is a city in Syria, administratively belonging to Tartus Governorate. Al-Shaykh Badr has an altitude of 536 meters. As of 2008, it had a population of 47,982. Its inhabitant ...

. *

Hosn Suleiman Hosn Suleiman ( ar, حصن سليمان), a Syrian village, is found on the slope of the Al-Nabi Saleh mountain (جبل النبي صالح) at an altitude 950 m, at a distance of 20 km from Duraykish and 56 km from Tartous. History Ho ...

Temple. * Drekish town-resort. Aside from these historic sites, more modern attractions include: * Alrimal Alzahabeya beach resort. * Junada hotel (previously called Porto Tartous). * Holiday beach resort. * Mashta Al Helou resort. The outlying town of Al Hamidiyah just south of Tartus is notable for having a Greek-speaking population of about 3,000 who are the descendants of Ottoman

Greek Muslims Greek Muslims, also known as Grecophone Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin whose adoption of Islam (and often the Turkish language and identity) dates to the period of Ottoman rule in the southern Balkans. They consist primarily of th ...

from the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

but usually confusingly referred to as

Cretan Turks The Cretan Muslims ( el, Τουρκοκρητικοί or , or ; tr, Giritli, , or ; ar, أتراك كريت) or Cretan Turks were the Muslim inhabitants of the island of Crete. Their descendants settled principally in Turkey, the Dodecanese ...

. Their ancestors moved there in the late 19th century as refugees from

after the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

acquired the island from the Ottoman Empire following the

Greco-Turkish War of 1897 The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War ( el, Ατυχής πόλεμος, Atychis polemos), was a w ...

.Greek-Speaking Enclaves of Lebanon and Syria
by Roula Tsokalidou. Proceedings ''II Simposio Internacional Bilingüismo''. Retrieved December 4, 2006. Since the start of the Iraqi War, a few thousand Iraqi nationals now reside in Tartus.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Tartus is twinned with: *

Kütahya Kütahya () (historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is inhabited by some 578,640 people (2022 estimate). The region of Kütahya ha ...

, Turkey *

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...

, Greece (2022) *

Tortosa Tortosa (; ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hig ...

, Spain (2007)

Notable people

(1941–1997), playwright and first Arab to deliver the International Theatre Day address * Sheikh Saleh Al-Ali, pre-independence Syrian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

who fought against the French mandate * Dr.

Halim Barakat Halim Barakat ( ar, حليم بركات) is an Arab novelist and sociologist. He was born December 4, 1936, into a Greek-Orthodox Arab family in Kafroun, Syria, and raised in Beirut.''Biography for the Arab Pioneers in America'', Barakat, Halim, ...

, novelist, sociologist and retired research professor *

Mohammad Yousaf Abu al-Farah Tartusi Mohammad Yousuf Abul Farah Tartusi ( ar, محمد یوسف ابوالفرح طرطوسی) was a popular Sufi Muslim saint. He is regarded as one of the common ancestors of the Sufi Tariqahs, which form an unbroken chain to the Islamic prophet ...

, Muslim saint of the Junaidia order *

Jamal Suliman Jamal Suliman ( ar, جمال سليمان) is a Syrian producer, director and actor of television, film, and stage. Suliman was born in 1959 in the Syrian capital of Damascus, then part of the United Arab Republic. Suliman studied at the acti ...

, actor *

, actor * Farrah Yousef, singer and ''

'' Season 2 finalist *

Assef Shawkat Assef Shawkat ( ar, آصِفُ شَوْكَتْ, ʾĀṣif Šawkat‎; 15 January 1950 – 18 July 2012) was the deputy Minister of Defense of Syria from September 2011 until his death in July 2012. He was the brother-in-law of Syrian Preside ...

, former deputy Minister of Defense of Syria and brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad * Mohsen Saeed Hussein Khaddour,

Syrian Arab Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six-D ...

officer known as Lion of Al-Badia

References

External links

Articles, stories and posts about Tartous (Tartus)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100114073038/http://www.tartousport.com/en/ Tartus Port
Abufares said... the world according to a Tartoussi, an English blog from Tartous

eTartus - a website for Tartus news and services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tartus People from Tartus Cities in Syria Populated coastal places in Syria Populated places in Tartus District Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Coloniae (Roman) Mediterranean port cities and towns in Syria Castles and fortifications of the Knights Templar Phoenician cities