Tartus

{{Short description|City in Syria}} {{Distinguish|Tartu|Tarsus, Mersin}} {{Infobox settlement  | name = Tartus | official_name = Tartous | other_name = Tortosa | native_name = طَرْطُوس | native_name_lang = ar | nickname = Rope; ({{langx|ar|حبل}}){{force singular}} | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = {{multiple image |perrow = 1/2/2/1 |border = infobox |total_width = 300 |image1 = Boats on Tartus boat harbor.jpg |caption1 = Port of Tartus |image2 = Tartus beach (1) - panoramio.jpg |caption2 = Tartus beach and boulevard |image3 = Notre dame de tortosa.jpg |caption3 = Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa |image4 =استاد الاسد ١.jpg |caption4 = Tartus Stadium |image5 = Tartus fortress 0807.jpg{{!}}Tartus Citadel |caption5 = Citadel of Tartus }} | image_seal = Emblem of Tartus.svg | seal_size = 60px | mapsize1 = | 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 = {{Flag|Syria}} | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = Tartus Governorate | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Tartus District | subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict | subdivision_name3 = Tartus Subdistrict | leader_title = Governor | leader_name = | established_title = Established | established_date = 5th millennium BC<ref name="est." /> | founder = Phoenicians | population_as_of = 2023 Estimate | population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |title=Tartus Population 2023 |work=Macrotrends |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/tartus-population |access-date=21 July 2023}}</ref> | population_total = 458,327 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_metro = 458,327 | 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 = {{langx|ar|طرطوسي|Ṭarṭūsi}} | coordinates = {{coord|34|53|N|35|53|E|region:SY|display=inline}} | 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 = AST | utc_offset = +3 | blank_name = Climate | blank_info = CSa | area_codes = Country code: 963, City code: 43 | geocode = C5221 | website = [http://www.esyria.sy/eTartus/ eTartus] | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 11 | mapframe-wikidata = yes }}

'''Tartus''' ({{langx|ar|طَرْطُوس}} / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarṭūs''; also known as '''Tartous'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-06 |title=Tartous - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) |url=https://sana.sy/en/governorates-news/tartous/ |access-date=2025-11-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> and also historically known in the County of Tripoli as '''Tortosa''') is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tartus in the Present Crisis: A Mirror of the Syrian Regime |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2014/04/tartus-in-the-present-crisis-a-mirror-of-the-syrian-regime?lang=en&center=middle-east |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |language=en}}</ref> It is the second largest port city in Syria (after Latakia), and the largest city in Tartus Governorate.<ref>{{citation |url=https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Syria%20governorate%20profiles%206%20August%202014.pdf|publisher= UNOCHA |title= Syrian Arab Republic – Governorates profile|date=June 2014|access-date= 20 March 2020}}</ref> Tartus was under the governance of Latakia Governorate until the 1970s, when it became a separate governorate.<ref name="Statoids">{{cite web|url=http://www.statoids.com/usy.html|title=Syria Provinces|website=www.statoids.com}}</ref> The population is 458,327 (2023 estimate).<ref>{{cite web |title=world population review |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/tartus-population |website=Tartus Population |publisher=world population review}}</ref> In the summer it is a vacation spot for many Syrians.

==Etymology== The name derives from Ancient {{langx|el|Αντιάραδος|Anti-Arados}} (Antarados or ''Anti-Aradus'', meaning "The town facing Aradus). In Latin, its name became ''Tortosa''. The original name survives in its Arabic form as ''Ṭarṭūs'' ({{langx|ar|طَرْطُوس}}), from which the French ''Tartous'' and English ''Tartus'' derive.

== History == === Phoenician Antaradus === {{Main|Arwad}}

Bronze bull, probably a representation of Egyptian god Apis. 1st-2nd century CE, found in Tartus|thumb

Tartus was founded as a Phoenician colony of Aradus.<ref name="est.">[http://lexicorient.com/e.o/tartus.htm Tartus] Encyclopaedia of the Orient. Retrieved 2007, 06-26.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ioannides |first1=Marinos |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lLGWMJc_s24C&q=arwad+2nd+millenium&pg=PA401 |title=Digital Heritage: Third International Euro-Mediterranean Conference, EuroMed 2010, Lemessos, Cyprus, November 8-13, 2010. Proceedings |last2=Fellner |first2=Dieter |last3=Georgopoulos |first3=Andreas |last4=Hadjimitsis |first4=Diofantos |date=2010-10-29 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-16872-7 |language=en}}</ref> The colony was known as Antaradus. Not much remains of the Phoenician Antaradus, the mainland settlement of the more important and larger settlements of Aradus, off the shore of Tartus, and the nearby site of Amrit.<ref>[http://www.syriagate.com/Syria/about/cities/Tartous/history.htm History of Tartous] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704021359/http://www.syriagate.com/Syria/about/cities/Tartous/history.htm |date=2007-07-04 }} Syria Gate. Retrieved 2007, 06-26.</ref>

=== Greco-Roman and Byzantine era === Greek gold fretworked bell, {{Circa|390 AD}}|thumb The city was called Antaradus in Latin. Athanasius reports that, under Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, Cymatius, the Christian Orthodox bishop of Antaradus and also of Aradus (whose names indicate that they were neighbouring towns facing each other) was driven out by the Arians. At the First Council of Constantinople in 381, Mocimus appears as bishop of Aradus. At the time of the Council of Ephesus (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 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 protesting about the murder of Proterius of Alexandria. 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 that was read at a synod held by Patriarch Mennas of Constantinople. The acts of the Second Council of Constantinople 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 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.<ref>Pius Bonifacius Gams, [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=65154&dirids=1 ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae''], Leipzig 1931, p. 434</ref><ref>Michel Lequien, [https://books.google.com/books?id=86weAemI-e4C ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus''], Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 827-830</ref><ref>Konrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', [http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00002716&mediaType=application/pdf vol. 1], p. 92; [http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00002717&mediaType=application/pdf vol. 2], p. XII and 89</ref>

No longer a residential bishopric, Antaradus is listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.<ref>''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}), p. 833</ref>

The city was favoured by Constantine for its devotion to the cult of the Virgin Mary. The first chapel to be dedicated to the Virgin was built here in the 3rd century.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tartus | title=Ṭarṭūs | Syria | Britannica }}</ref>

=== 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, caliphate armies conquered Tartus under the leadership of Ubadah ibn al-Samit in 636.<ref name="kitAb futuh al-buldAn; Baladhuri">{{cite web |last1=K. Hitti |first1=Phillip |title=The origins of the Islamic state : being a translation from the Arabic |url=https://archive.org/stream/originsofislamic01albauoft/originsofislamic01albauoft_djvu.txt |publisher=Columbia University |access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref> While Ubadah occupied Tartus, Mu'awiya I came to the city, and built an Amsar complex within the city, while also tasking fiefs to the garrison commanders.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ibn Athir |first1=Ali |author-link1=Ali ibn al-Athir |title=Al-Kāmil fī al-tārīkh |trans-title="The Complete History"; |url=http://islamport.com/w/tkh/Web/331/424.htm |website=The comprehensive encyclopedia www.islamport.com |publisher=Al-Warraq website |access-date=26 November 2021 |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517095930/http://islamport.com/w/tkh/Web/331/424.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Tartus hosted Khadijah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad when she came with her father Khuwaylid ibn Asad.<ref>Muhammad ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). ''The Women of Madina'', p. 10. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.</ref>

=== Crusades === [[File:Notre dame de tortosa.jpg|thumb|right|The Crusader-era cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa, in Tartus, Syria]] The Crusaders called the city Antartus, and also Tortosa. It was captured in 1099 during the First Crusade<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boas|first=Adrian|title=Crusader Archaeology|publisher=Routledge|year=1999|isbn=978-0-415-17361-2|pages=255}}</ref> by Frankish forces. Once the land was seized, the cathedral was built over the spot of a Byzantine church,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boas|first=Adrian|title=Crusader Archaeology|publisher=Routledge|year=1999|isbn=978-0-415-17361-2|pages=7}}</ref> but it was later taken over by Muslims. It was recaptured by Raymond of Saint-Gilles in February 1102 after two weeks of siege, then it was left in 1105 to his son Alfonso Jordan and was known as Tortosa.<ref>{{Cite EB1911||first=Ernest|last=Barker|wstitle=Raymund of Toulouse|volume=22|pages=934-935}}</ref> In 1123 the Crusaders built the semi-fortified Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa over a Byzantine church that was popular with pilgrims.

[[File:Tartus fortress chapel 0790.jpg|thumb|Templar Chapel, Citadel of Tartus, Syria]]

In 1152, Tortosa was handed to the Knights Templar, who used it as a military headquarters. They engaged in some major building projects, constructing a castle around 1165 with a large chapel and an elaborate keep, surrounded by thick double concentric walls.<ref>''Lost Worlds: Knights Templar''. History Channel video documentary, first aired July 10, 2006.</ref> 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 captured Tartus from the Crusaders for a brief time before he lost it again.<ref name="Barber">{{cite book|last=Barber|first=M.|title=The Crusader States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bz_O7-Lb_CsC&pg=PA256|year=2012|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-18931-5|page=256}}</ref>

The city of Tortosa was recaptured by Saladin in 1188, and the main Templar headquarters was relocated to Cyprus. 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 Arwad, which they held for another decade.<ref name="crusade-en">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2006 |title=Acre, Siege of (1291) |encyclopedia=The Crusades: An Encyclopedia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6cSXSgAACAAJ |last=Burgtorf |first=Jochen |editor-last=Alan V. Murray |volume=1 |pages=13–14 |oclc=70122512}}</ref> After the occupation by the Mamluks, the city lost its prestige, which it regained only under the Ottoman rule.<ref name="Cummins94">Cummins 2011, p. 94.</ref>

===Ottoman era=== During the Ottoman rule, 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.<ref>Trevor N. Dupuy. (1993). "The First Turko-Egyptian War." ''The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History''. HarperCollins Publishers, {{ISBN|978-0062700568}}, p. 851</ref>

In 1839, the Ottoman Empire reconquered its Syrian coastal territories from Egypt with the support of Great Britain. In 1840, during the Syrian War, British frigates HMS {{HMS|Carysfort|1836|2}}, HMS {{HMS|Benbow|1813|2}} and {{HMS|Zebra|1815|6}}, with the help of a landing force of marines, attacked the citadel in Tartus.<ref>{{cite book|author=Charles John Napier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFsLAAAAIAAJ|title=The war in Syria|publisher=John W. Parker|year=1842|volume=1}}</ref> Despite heavy losses, the British failed to capture the fort.<ref>{{London Gazette|pages=2605–2607 |issue=19915|date=17 November 1840}}</ref> Ottoman rule continued until 1918.

===Modern era=== thumb|Hamrat street, Tartus (1970)

On May 23, 2016, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for three suicide bombings at a bus station in Tartus, which had remained largely unaffected since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, as a stronghold of the Government of Syria. Purportedly targeting Alawite gatherings, the bombs killed 48 people. In Jableh, similarly insulated, another four bombers killed over a hundred people.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/is-blasts-in-syria-regime/2810604.html |title=IS blasts in Syria regime heartland kill more than 148 |author=AFP |work=Channel NewsAsia |date=24 May 2016|access-date=20 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523190938/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/is-blasts-in-syria-regime/2810604.html |archive-date=23 May 2016}}</ref>

As part of the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, Tartus fell under control of HTS forces on 9 December 2024, in the wake of the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://united24media.com/latest-news/syrian-opposition-takes-full-control-of-latakia-and-tartus-where-russian-bases-are-located-4315 |title=Syrian Opposition Takes Full Control of Latakia and Tartus Where Russian Bases Are Located |publisher=United 24 Media |date=9 December 2024 }}</ref>

On December 15, 2024, Israeli Air Forces bombed the coastal city and its vicinity in an offensive which targeted military facilities following the fall of the Assad regime. At 11:49 pm, a 3.1 earthquake which might have been caused by the explosions was reported with its epicenter about {{convert|28|km}} off the coast of Baniyas, according to seismic sensors in the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/16/watch-israeli-strike-in-syria-causes-seismic-explosion/ |title=Watch: Israeli strike in Syria causes 'seismic' explosion |publisher=The Telegraph |date=16 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/tartus-strikes-said-picked-up-by-quake-monitor/ |title=Tartus strikes said picked up by quake monitor |publisher=The Times of Israel |date=16 December 2024 }}</ref> The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that the strikes were "some of the heaviest in the region since 2012".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/syria-war-monitor-says-israel-struck-military-targets-on-syrian-coast-234e290b |title=Syria War Monitor Says Israel Struck Military Targets On Syrian Coast |publisher=Barron's |date=15 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/351598/ |title=The most violent round of airstrikes ever {{!}} Israeli fighter jets carry out 18 airstrikes, targeting military positions in Syrian coastlines |publisher=SOHR |date=16 December 2024 }}</ref>

== Geography == The city lies on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea bordered by the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range to the east. Arwad, the only inhabited island on the Syrian coast, is located a few kilometers off the shore of Tartus. Tartus occupies most of the coastal plain, surrounded to the east by mountains composed mainly of limestone and, in certain places around the town of Souda, basalt.

===Climate=== Tartus has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen (''Csa'') with mild, wet winters, hot and humid summers, and short transition periods in April and October. The hills to the east of the city create a cooler climate with higher rainfall. Tartus is known for its relatively mild weather and high precipitation compared to inland Syria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbssyr.org |title=Central Bureau of Statistics |publisher=Cbssyr.org |access-date=August 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428121127/http://www.cbssyr.org/ |archive-date=April 28, 2007 }}</ref>

{{Weather box |width = auto |location = Tartus |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan high C = 15.8 |Feb high C = 16.4 |Mar high C = 18.6 |Apr high C = 21.9 |May high C = 24.8 |Jun high C = 27.3 |Jul high C = 29.2 |Aug high C = 30.0 |Sep high C = 29.2 |Oct high C = 26.6 |Nov high C = 22.4 |Dec high C = 17.9 |year high C = 23.34 |Jan mean C = 12.0 |Feb mean C = 12.7 |Mar mean C = 14.7 |Apr mean C = 17.6 |May mean C = 20.3 |Jun mean C = 23.9 |Jul mean C = 26.0 |Aug mean C = 26.7 |Sep mean C = 25.1 |Oct mean C = 21.9 |Nov mean C = 17.7 |Dec mean C = 13.7 |year mean C = 19.36 |Jan low C = 8.4 |Feb low C = 8.9 |Mar low C = 10.4 |Apr low C = 12.8 |May low C = 15.6 |Jun low C = 19.1 |Jul low C = 22.2 |Aug low C = 22.8 |Sep low C = 20.4 |Oct low C = 16.9 |Nov low C = 13.2 |Dec low C = 10.0 |year low C = 15.06 |Jan rain mm = 177.5 |Feb rain mm = 142.1 |Mar rain mm = 105.2 |Apr rain mm = 57.1 |May rain mm = 20.0 |Jun rain mm = 12.3 |Jul rain mm = 0.7 |Aug rain mm = 3.8 |Sep rain mm = 8.2 |Oct rain mm = 67.6 |Nov rain mm = 105.0 |Dec rain mm = 184.8 |rain colour = green |Jan rain days = 12.5 |Feb rain days = 10.2 |Mar rain days = 9.3 |Apr rain days = 5.4 |May rain days = 2.1 |Jun rain days = 0.5 |Jul rain days = 0.1 |Aug rain days = 0.1 |Sep rain days = 0.8 |Oct rain days = 4.4 |Nov rain days = 6.5 |Dec rain days = 11.0 |unit rain days = 1.0 mm |source 1 = Hong Kong Observatory<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/europe/gr_tu/tartous_e.htm |title=Climatological Information for Tartous, Syria|publisher=Hong Kong Observatory|date=June 2011}}</ref> |date=August 2010}}

==Economy== ===Industry=== There is a cement plant in the city with a production capacity of 6.5 thousand tons of cement per day.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=262267 | title=Cement Factory in Tartous province | date=31 January 2022 }}</ref> The pharmaceutical industry 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=273101|title=Pharmaceutical industry reactivated in Tartous through 7 laboratories|access-date=4 September 2022|date=29 May 2022|publisher=SANA}}</ref> Food, chemical and wood processing industries are also represented in the urban industrial zone.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=168900|title=28 new industrial facilities start production in Tartous during first half of 2019|publisher=SANA|access-date=14 September 2022}}</ref>

Many residents are employed in the service sector.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=252129 | title=58 new facilities at Tartous industrial zone | date=22 October 2021 }}</ref>

=== Tartus port === thumb|Tartus port Tartus is an important trade center in Syria and has one of the two main ports of the country on the Mediterranean. In 2005, the city port underwent major expansion as a lot of Iraqi imports come through the port of Tartus to aid reconstruction efforts in Iraq.<ref name="WB Report">{{Cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IRFFI/64168382-1092419012421/20947441/WBITFProgressReportDec2005.pdf |title=World Bank Progress Report, 31 December 2005 |access-date=7 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927082255/http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IRFFI/64168382-1092419012421/20947441/WBITFProgressReportDec2005.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2006 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In January 2025, the post-Assad government of Syria canceled Russian company Stroytransgaz's contract to operate the commercial port of Tartus.<ref name="reuters-port-lease">{{cite news |last1=Ashari |first1=Tim |last2=al-Khalidi |first2=Suleiman |last3=Gebeily |first3=Maya |title=Syria cancels port management contract with Russian firm, sources say |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-cancels-port-management-contract-with-russian-firm-sources-say-2025-01-24/ |access-date=10 March 2026 |work=Reuters |date=24 January 2025}}</ref><ref name="National-tartus-port">{{cite news |last1=Atallah |first1=Nada Maucourant |title=Tartus port finds new lease of life as Syria reopens for business |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/05/26/tartous-port-finds-new-lease-of-life-as-syria-reopens-for-business/ |access-date=10 March 2026 |work=The National |date=26 May 2025}}</ref> In July 2025, Syria concluded an $800 million deal with Dubai-based DP World to redevelop Tartus port as part of post-war reconstruction efforts. The contract was signed in Damascus between DP World and the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, in the presence of Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.<ref>{{cite web | title=Syria signs $800m Tartous port deal with UAE firm DP World | website=Al Jazeera | date=2025-07-13 | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/7/13/syria-signs-800m-tartus-port-deal-with-uae-firm-dp-world | access-date=2025-09-28}}</ref>

===Russian naval base=== {{Main|Tartus naval base}}

Tartus hosts a Soviet-era 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 base outside the former Soviet Union, and its only Mediterranean fueling spot, sparing Russia's warships the trip back to their Black Sea bases through straits in Turkey, a NATO member.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Kramer, Andrew E. |title=Russian Warships Said to Be Going to Naval Base in Syria |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/world/europe/russian-warships-said-to-be-going-to-naval-base-in-syria.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605050434/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/world/europe/russian-warships-said-to-be-going-to-naval-base-in-syria.html?_r=2 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tourism=== 220px|thumb|City promenade at night 220px|thumb|Tartus beaches Tartus is a popular destination for tourists with many resorts along the Syrian coast.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=51945|title=Al-Ahlam Beach in Tartus|publisher=SANA|access-date=4 August 2022|date=19 August 2015}}</ref>

==Culture== ===Art and festivals=== [[File:Illustration from Views in the Ottoman Dominions by Luigi Mayer, digitally enhanced by rawpixel-com 57.jpg|thumb|Tartus painted by Luigi Mayer (1810)]]

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,<ref name="cult">{{Cite news|url=https://www.sana.sy/?p=1526108|title=أيام الثقافة في طرطوس تستعيد تجربة الشاعر الراحل نديم محمد|trans-title=Culture days in Tartous recalls the experience of the late poet Nadim Mohamed|language=ar|publisher =SANA|access-date=11 September 2022|date=24 November 2021}}</ref> in addition to a tourist festival called Antaradus.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=14226 | title=Antradous… messages of homeland" Festival wraps up activities | date=27 September 2014 }}</ref>

Assi Rahbani and Mansour Rahbani, frequent visitors to Tartus, immortalized their love for the city in a song, ''Shabab Al-Hilweh'', sung by Nasri Shamseddine.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=2020-09-11|title=مهرجان صور الموسيقي الدولي... تحية إلى نصري شمس الدين|url=https://www.annahar.com/arabic/culture/أخبار/09112020075031554|access-date=2020-12-09|website=annahar.com|language=ar}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thearabweekly.com/music-syrian-artist-safwan-bahlawan-mimics-pulse-life|title=With music, Syrian artist Safwan Bahlawan mimics the pulse of life|author=Nidhal Qushha|newspaper=Aw |publisher=The Arab Weekly|date=12 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref> Residents of the city include the singer Farrah Yousef,<ref name="Alarabiya">{{Cite news |website=english.alarabiya.net |language=en |date=2013-06-23 |access-date=2023-04-20 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520075908/https://english.alarabiya.net/perspective/2013/06/23/Region-s-woes-take-center-stage-as-refugee-becomes-Arab-Idol- |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2013/06/23/Region-s-woes-take-center-stage-as-refugee-becomes-Arab-Idol-.html |title=Region's woes take center stage as refugee becomes Arab Idol |publisher=Al Arabiya}}</ref> finalist of the singing competition ''Arab Idol'' and Taim Hasan, an actor known for his dramatic roles in Syria and the Arab world.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=62889|title=The 2nd Caliph, Omar Ibn al-Khattab, to appear on the Arab silver screen|date=November 14, 2010|work=DayPress|accessdate=August 17, 2011}}</ref>

Many poets and writers have lived in Tartus, including Saadallah Wannous, Muhammad Omran, Rasha Omran and Nadim Muhammad. Some writers hold their literary seminars and lectures in the local cultural center.<ref name="cult" />

===Museum=== {{main|Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa}}

thumb|250px|National Museum of Tartus (1987)

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. 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=265608 | title=Tartous Museum|date=7 March 2022|access-date=8 September 2022|publisher=SANA}}</ref>

thumb|left|200px|Ash chest with a Christian symbol, located in the national museum

In September 2021, the Directorate-General of Antiquities began a comprehensive renovation and fixing operations of architectural elements that were subjected to fragmentation at the National Museum of Tartus.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=248609|title=Archaeology Department starts acts of restoration of Tartous Cathedral Museum|publisher=SANA|date=14 September 2021|access-date=14 September 2022|author=Nisreen Othman/ Mazen Eyon}}</ref>

===Sports=== thumb|230px|Bassel al-Assad Stadium thumb|230px|Tartus Municipal Stadium

Tartus is the home city of only one sports club: Al-Sahel SC, 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 was promoted to the Syrian Premier League for the first time in their history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://esyria.sy/sites/code/index.php?site=tartus&p=stories&category=news&filename=201805121339371|title=نادي "الساحل".. دوري الأضواء بعد سبعة وأربعين عاماً|work=esyria|language=Arabic|date=12 May 2018}}</ref> In the 2020-21 season, they were relegated and have been playing in the Syrian League 1st Division ever since. The women's basketball team competes at the top level of the Syrian basketball league.<ref>[http://www.esyria.sy/etartus/index.php?p=stories&category=sport&filename=201109170955063 Al-Asahel Sports Club of Tartus (in Arabic)]</ref>

==Education== A number of colleges affiliated with Latakia University, 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.<ref name="LatakiaUni">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tishreen.edu.sy/about |title=Latakia University - About |access-date=2022-09-08 |archive-date=2017-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213045706/http://tishreen.edu.sy/about |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city also has a number of institutes, secondary schools and primary schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education, in addition to private educational institutes and secondary schools.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://knoema.com/atlas/Syrian-Arab-Republic/Tartus?mode=amp | title=Tartus - Syrian Arab Republic | Data and Statistics }}</ref>

Tartus has expanded over time.<ref name="project">{{cite web|url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=116330 | title=Premier Khamis inspects a number of projects in Tartous | date=23 October 2017|publisher=SANA|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> Gardens in the city include Tartus Park.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=257034 | title=Tartous Rain today 8-12-2021 | date=8 December 2021|access-date=8 September 2022|publisher=SANA}}</ref> Tartus was an attractive destination for tourists from Europe and Arab countries prior to the civil war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=264604 | title=The beauty of nature in Kafroun town,Tartous countryside| date=25 February 2022|access-date=8 September 2022|publisher=SANA}}</ref>

===Transportation=== thumb|230px|Al-Thawra Street Tartus has a developed road system. Tartus and Latakia are connected by the M1 international highway, and the city is connected to Damascus by the M5 highway via Homs.<ref name=jordantimes-20200226>{{cite news |url=https://www.jordantimes.com/opinion/michael-jansen/capture-m5-one-most-celebrated-prizes-damascus-campaign-regain-territory |title=Capture of M5 one of the most celebrated prizes in Damascus' campaign to regain territory |last=Jansen |first=Michael |website=The Jordan Times |date=26 February 2020 |access-date=28 March 2020}}</ref> The establishment of an international road linking Tartus with Iraq and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf through the Syrian Desert was recently studied, as it is the shortest road connecting the Persian 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.<ref name="project" />

The railway network operated by Syrian Railways connects Tartus with other cities in Syria, although currently only the Latakia-Tartus and Tartus-Al Akkari-Homs passenger connections are in service.<ref name="Jaynes">{{cite web|url=http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jwr/jwr_0567.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127052325/http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jwr/jwr_0567.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-27|title=Chemins de fer Syriens|publisher=Jaynes|access-date=2022-05-03}}</ref><ref name="rail">{{Cite web | url=https://www.zawya.com/en/projects/construction/iraq-and-syria-discuss-railway-link-n5pgbzws | title=Iraq and Syria discuss railway link|author=Majda Muhsen, Anoop Menon|publisher=Zawya project|access-date=8 September 2022|date=9 June 2022}}</ref> 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 Homs for a total distance of 270 kilometers and thence to Tartus are currently (2022) under discussion.<ref name="rail" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Iran and Iraq again agree to connect their railway networks |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/12/iran-and-iraq-again-agree-connect-their-railway-networks|access-date=2022-09-11|website=www.al-monitor.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Main sights == thumb|Boats in Tartus harbour [[File:Tartus Fortezza dei Templari - GAR - 3-01.JPG|thumb|250px|A former Templar citadel, later a naval fortress]] 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 cathedral Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Tartus, from the 12th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Moaz|first=Abd al-Razzaq|title=The Ayyubid Era: Art and Architecture in Medieval Spain|publisher=Museum with no Frontiers|year=2015|isbn=978-3-902782-17-5|pages=255}}</ref>

[[File:Amrit Santuario Fenicio - GAR - 2-01.jpg|thumb|Phoenician Temple (Ma'abed), cella at the centre of the court, Amrit of Tartus in 2006]] 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sana.sy/en/?p=253930 |title=Ancient Tartous… Fragrance of civilization and history(photos)|date=9 November 2021|access-date=8 September 2022|publisher=SANA}}</ref> * Margat Castle, north of the city. * The historic town of Safita. * Arwad island and castle. * The ancient Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa, now used as the city museum. * Beit el-Baik Palace. * Sheikh Saleh al-Ali shrine in Al-Shaykh Badr.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Douwes |first1=Dick |editor1-last=Sluglett |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Weber |editor2-first=Stefan |title=Syria and Bilad al-Sham under Ottoman Rule |date=2010 |publisher=Brill |location=New York and Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-18193-9 |chapter=Migration, Faith and Community: Extra-Local Linkages in Coastal Syria}}</ref> * Hosn Suleiman 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 from the island of Crete but usually confusingly referred to as Cretan Turks. Their ancestors moved there in the late 19th century as refugees from Crete after the Kingdom of Greece acquired the island from the Ottoman Empire following the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.<ref name="gsels">[http://webs.uvigo.es/ssl/actas2002/05/08.%20Roula%20Tsokalidou.pdf Greek-Speaking Enclaves of Lebanon and Syria] by Roula Tsokalidou. Proceedings ''II Simposio Internacional Bilingüismo''. Retrieved December 4, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/2010110_sayi11_eng_web.pdf The forgotten Turks: Turkmens of Lebanon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181832/http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/2010110_sayi11_eng_web.pdf |date=2016-03-03 }} (report). Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies. February 2010. Retrieved 8-5-2015. p. 14. "The locals of Hamidiye do not describe themselves as Cretan Turks, but as Cretan Muslims or Ottomans (Kiritlar = Cretans in turkish). Some locals in Tripoli define themselves as Cretan Turks."</ref> Since the start of the Iraqi War, a few thousand Iraqi nationals now reside in Tartus.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

==Twin towns – sister cities== {{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Syria}}

Tartus is twinned with: {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *{{flagicon|TUR}} Kütahya, Turkey<ref>{{cite web |title=Kütahya'nın 10 "kardeş şehri" var Kaynak: Kütahya'nın 10 kardeş şehri var|url=https://www.gundemgazetesi.net/kutahya39nin-10-kardes-sehri-var-36070h.htm|website=gundemgazetesi.net|publisher=Gündem Gazetesi|language=tr|date=2013-08-01|access-date=2022-09-27}}</ref> *{{flagicon|GRE}} Piraeus, Greece (2022)<ref>{{cite web |title=Αδελφοποιμένες Πόλεις|url=https://piraeus.gov.gr/%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%BB%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%82-%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82/|newspaper=Δημοσ Πειραια - Δημοσ Πειραια|date=21 September 2018 |publisher=Piraeus|language=el|access-date=2022-09-25}}</ref> *{{flagicon|ESP}} Tortosa, Spain (2007)<ref>{{cite web |title=Presentació|url=http://www.tortosa.cat/webajt/agermana/index.asp|website=tortosa.cat|publisher=Tortosa|language=ca|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref> {{div col end}}

== Notable people ==

* Saadallah Wannous (1941–1997), playwright and first Arab to deliver the International Theatre Day address * Sheikh Saleh Al-Ali, pre-independence Syrian revolutionary who fought against the French mandate * Dr. Halim Barakat, novelist, sociologist and retired research professor<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.halimbarakat.com |title=Halim Barakat |publisher=Halim Barakat |access-date=August 4, 2010}}</ref> * Mohammad Yousaf Abu al-Farah Tartusi, Muslim saint of the Junaidia order<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlyMAwAAQBAJ&q=Yousaf+Abu-al-Farrah+Turtoosi&pg=PA81 |title=Sultan-Bahoo-The-Life-and-Teachings |author=Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman|publisher=Sultan-ul-Faqr Publications Regd |date= 11 March 2015|isbn=9789699795183}}</ref> * Jamal Suliman, actor * Ghassan Massoud, actor * Taim Hasan, actor * Farrah Yousef, singer and ''Arab Idol'' Season 2 finalist * Assef Shawkat, former deputy Minister of Defense of Syria and brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * {{Facebook}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100114073038/http://www.tartousport.com/en/ Tartus Port] * [https://sana.sy/governorates/tartus/ SANA - News about Tartus Governorate]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tartus}} Category:Tartus Category:Cities in Syria Category:Populated coastal places in Syria Category:Populated places in Tartus District Category:Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Category:Coloniae (Roman) Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Syria Category:Castles and fortifications of the Knights Templar Category:Phoenician cities