Tartus
Tartus (Arabic: طَرْطُوس / ALA-LC: Ṭarṭūs; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated from French Tartous) is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (after Latakia), and the largest city in Tartus Governorate.[4] Until the 1970s, Tartus was under the governance of Latakia Governorate, then it became a separate governorate.[5] The population is 458,327 (2023 estimate).[6] 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.[7]
Not to be confused with Tartu or Tarsus, Mersin.
Tartus
طَرْطُوسTortosa
Tartus Subdistrict
Firas Ahmed Al-Hamid[2]
20 km2 (8 sq mi)
22 m (72 ft)
458,327
458,327
Country code: 963, City code: 43
C5221
Etymology[edit]
The name derives from Ancient Greek: Αντιαράδος, romanized: Anti-Arados (Antarados or Anti-Aradus, meaning "The town facing Arwad"). In Latin, its name became Tortosa. The original name survives in its Arabic form as Ṭarṭūs (Arabic: طَرْطُوس), from which the French Tartous and English Tartus derive.
Education[edit]
A number of colleges affiliated with 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.[48]
The city also has a number of institutes, secondary schools and primary schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education, in addition to many private educational institutes and secondary schools.[49]
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.[58]
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:
Aside from these historic sites, more modern attractions include:
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.[61][62] Since the start of the Iraqi War, a few thousand Iraqi nationals now reside in Tartus.