JABLEH IS LOCATED ON THE SYRIAN COAST.
ITS ANCIENT HISTORY IS LINKED TO THE PHOENICIAN – CANAANITE AGES. DURING THE
ROMAN PERIOD. A HUGE THEATRE. WHICH COULD SEAT 15000 SPECTATORS, WAS BUILT IN
IT.?
TARTUS
IT IS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT SYRIAN
SEA PORT . THE OLD PART OF IT IS STAMPED WITH THE PHOENICIAN CULTURE AND
ARCHITECTURE YET THE REMAINING RUINS ONLY DATE BACK TO THE BYZANTINE AND ROMAN
ERAS. THE CANAANITE , PHOENICIAN .ARAMEAN ROLE IN TARTUS WAS CLOSELY LINKED WITH
THEIR ROLE IN ARWAD; THE SMALL ISLAND 3KM. FROM TARTUS . THE ISLAND WAS
MENTIONED IN THE CUNEIFORM TEXTS DATING BACK TO THE 2ND MILLENNIUM
B.C. AND IT BECAME ONE OF THE PHOENICIANS MOST IMPORTANT PORTS IN THE FIRST
MILLENNIUM B.C.
TARTUS CLOSE CONNECTION WITH THIS
PERIOD IS AFFIRMED BY THE DISCOVERY OF THE ARAMEAN PHOENICIAN CITY OF AMRIT TO
THE SOUTH OF THE CITY.
TARTUS TAKE PRIDE IN CONTAINING THE
OLDEST CHURCH DEVOTED TO THE VIRGIN MARY . ITS FAMOUS CATHEDRAL ( NOW A MUSEUM)
AND ITS CITADEL ARE LIVING PROOF OF THE GREAT IMPORTANCE THE CITY ACQUIRED
DURING THE CHRISTIAN, THE BYZANTINE AND THE ARAB PERIODS .
MISYAF
MISYAF IS LOCATED 50KM. TO THE EAST OF
BANYAS . AN ARAB CITADEL WHICH WAS CAPTURED BY THE CRUSADERS IN 1103 BUT QUICKLY
RECOVERED BY THE ARAB IN 1140 , IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SITE IN IT. THE CITADEL IS
SURROUNDED BY ORCHARDS OF FIG, POMEGRANATE, CHERRY AND BERRY TREES.
QAL`AAT SALAHIDDIN
SITUATED NEAR AL –HAFFEH ( 4KM. AWAY
FROM IT ) 35KM. TO THE EAST OF LATAKIA AND 410M ABOVE SEA LEVEL. QAL`AAT SALAH
ADDIN STANDS ON ROCKY SPUR SURROUNDED BY TWO NATURAL DITCHES WHICH MAKE IT
COMPLETELY ISOLATED IF THE DRAWBRIDGE LEADING TO IT IS DRAWN.
THE CITADEL DATING BACK TO THE
PROSPEROUS DAYS OF THE PHOENICIAN ERA ( 10TH CENTURY B.C.) CONTAINS
SOME REMAINS FROM THE BYZANTINE PERIOD. IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF CONFLICT BETWEEN
THE BYZANTINES AND THE HAMADANIS UNTIL THE CRUSADERS CAPTURED IT.
THE CITADEL WAS DESCRIBED AS THE MOST
IMPREGNABLE CRUSADER FORTRESS AND THE CITADEL THAT COULD NOT BE CONQUERED , TILL
THE GREAT ARAB LEADER SALAH ADDIN AL AYOUBI MANAGED TO RESTORE IN 1182 A.D.
THE CITADEL CONTAINS A SMALL MOSQUE AND
A MINARET THERE IS A SMALL CHURCH NEAR THE BYZANTINE FORTIFICATION. LATER ON NEW
ARTISTIC ORNAMENTS OF THE AYOUBIT ARCHITECTURE WERE ADDED TO IT .
QAL`AAT
AL MARQAB ( AL MARQAB CITADEL )
THIS CITADEL IS ONLY 6KM. TO THE SOUTH
EAST OF BANYAS, AND IS 500M ABOVE SEA LEVEL . IT IS AN ENORMOUS CITADEL WHICH
SEEMS, WITH ITS FOURTEEN TOWERS JOTTING FROM ITS HUGE WALL, LIKE A GIANT SHIP
ANCHORED ON THE TOP OF THE HILL OVERLOOK THE SEA. THE CITADEL WAS BUILT WITH
BLACK BASALT STONE, AND WAS DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE 100 PEOPLE , IN ADDITION TO
THE GARRISON AND THE PROVISION TO LAST THEM FIVE YEARS. AL MARQAB WAS THE LAST
FORTRESS OF THE CRUSADERS TO BE CAPTURED BY THE TROOPS OF SULTAN QALA`UN IN 1285
A.D. THE EUROPEAN KNIGHTS WHO SURRENDERED AFTER FIERCE FIGHTING WERE WELL
TREATED AND ALLOWED TO WITHDRAW UNDER SAFE CONDUCT TO THE SEA. ARABIC
INSCRIPTIONS COMMEMORATING THIS GREAT VICTORY ARE CARVED ON THE TOWERS OF THE
CITADEL.
