Al-Ghantoo ( ar, الغنطو) or al-Ghantu,

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 ...

: ''al-Ghānṭū'': but the original name is spelled: الغُنْثُر/ Al-Ghonthor, which means the land of fountains) is a town in the west of Syria, administratively part of the

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حمص / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from to . It is thus geographic ...

, located north of Homs. Nearby towns include

Talbisa Talbiseh ( ar, تلبيسة, also spelled Talbisa, Tell Bisa, Talbeesa) is a large town in northwestern Syria administratively part of the Homs Governorate, about 10 kilometers north of Homs. Nearby localities include al-Rastan to the north, al- ...

to the northeast and

Taldou Taldou ( ar, تلدو, Talldū, also spelled Tall Daww, Taldo, Tall Dhu or Taldao) is a town in the Houla region of northern Syria, north of Homs in the Homs Governorate. Nearby towns include Burj al-Qa'i to the east, Tallaf to the northeast, ...

further to the northwest. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Ghantu had a population of 9,412 in 2004.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Homs Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

s, Most of its residents work in agriculture, and many farmers specialize in vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, peppers and others. Olive groves have increased annually. There are many places of interest in the village including old

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

bridges and water mills on the al-Assali River which passes through the west side of the village. On 11 June 2012, anti-government fighters from the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

(FSA) attacked the small military airbase situated in al-Ghantu, as part of the ongoing 2011-2012 Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The FSA was quickly repelled by a

Syrian 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 ...

counterattack, but managed to withdraw with hundreds of looted weapons and ammunition. According to FSA officials, they were able to enter the base after being aided by 22 sympathetic soldiers and officers stationed at the base.Holmes, Oliver
Syrian rebels briefly seize air missile base
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

''. 2012-06-11.

Gallery

Image:Cabbage_in_the_village_2006.jpg, Cabbage field, 2006 Image:Lettuce_2009.jpg, Lettuce field, 2009

References

Bibliography

External links

Satellite View of al-Ghantoo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghantu Populated places in al-Rastan District