Tartus

Tartus Governorate is located in the western part of Syria on the Mediterranean coast, and together with Latakia Governorate, it forms the main section of Syria's maritime facade.

Its coastal location gives it an importance that extends beyond the governorate itself, because throughout history, the sea has been a route for trade, communication, and movement, while the mountains to the east formed a passage to the Syrian interior and a natural barrier at the same time.

Historically, Tartus emerged as a city situated at the intersection of two worlds:

• ›The Mediterranean World to the West
• ›and the Syrian interior to the east

The importance of this relationship is evident in the ports, Phoenician sites, castles, ancient roads, and the distribution of human settlements between the coast and the highlands.

The sea constitutes the most prominent geographical element in the governorate's identity.

The coast is not merely a western boundary of the land, but a complete economic, social, and historical environment.

The inhabitants were connected to it through:

• ›Hunting
• ›Navigation
• ›Trade
• ›Harbors
• ›Boat Building
• ›and maritime transport

Arwad Island serves as the clearest example of this relationship, forming a maritime community historically tied to navigation, fishing, shipbuilding, and the port. However, the coastal environment is not limited to Arwad.

The cities of Tartus and Baniyas, along with other coastal villages and communities, all form parts of a human and economic network connected to the Mediterranean.

Between the sea and the highlands extend the lower-lying lands, where the Mediterranean climate, availability of water, and soil fostered agricultural activity.

This region forms a transitional link between the economy of the sea and the economy of the mountains.

On one hand, there are ports, markets, and cities.

On the other hand, there are agricultural lands, orchards, and villages.

Products and people move constantly between the two environments.

Thus, the coastal city was never economically separate from its rural hinterland.

Rather, the markets relied on agricultural products from the surrounding areas, while the countryside relied on the city for trade, services, and access to the port and larger markets.

As one travels eastward, the province's topography gradually changes.

Hills appear, followed by higher elevations, and forests, valleys, and springs increase.

Regions such as:

• ›Safita
• ›Dreikish
• ›Al-Sheikh Badr
• ›and Al-Qadmus
• ›Within this Mountainous World

Dreikish is associated with springs, forests, eco-tourism, mountain villages, and natural heritage, while Sheikh Badr is associated with mountains, forests, mountain villages, and rural heritage.

This variation in terrain led to the emergence of settlement and work patterns different from those of the coast.

Forests, rivers, valleys, beaches, and biodiversity are essential elements of the governorate's natural environment, and these are the subjects covered in the natural chapter of the volume's original structure.

The importance of forests increases in the interior and elevated regions.

It is not merely a landscape.

Rather, it affects:

• ›Water
• ›The soil
• ›Local Climate
• ›Wildlife
• ›Rural economy
• ›and tourism

As for the springs, their presence facilitated the establishment of several rural communities and the continuation of agricultural activity.

The governorate generally belongs to the Mediterranean environment, but the topography creates differing climatic conditions between the coast and the mountains.

The coast is more influenced by the sea.

While temperatures usually decrease with elevation towards the mountainous regions.

This variation leads to a clear botanical and agricultural diversity.

It also allows for diverse experiences within the same governorate:

• ›Beach
• ›Agricultural Plain
• ›Valley
• ›Forest
• ›Highlands
• ›And mountain villages

This characteristic will later become one of the most important strengths for natural tourism in Tartus.

The population is distributed among Tartus city, other urban centers, and coastal and mountainous towns and villages.

Settlement centers vary between:

• ›Tartus city
• ›Baniyas
• ›Safita
• ›Dreikish
• ›Al-Sheikh Badr
• ›and the villages and towns spread throughout the governorate
• ›This distribution is directly linked to geography

Coastal cities developed around trade, roads, ports, and services.

Many inland communities, however, were associated with agriculture, water, mountains, and local roads.

The administrative organization of the governorate reflects the multiplicity of its urban and rural centers.

The presence of key areas appears to be:

• ›Tartus
• ›Baniyas
• ›Safita
• ›Dreikish
• ›Al-Sheikh Badr

There is a fundamental truth in understanding Tartus:

Human settlement here is much older than the modern city.

The presence of the sea, water, agricultural lands, and highlands provided diverse environments allowing for the emergence of human settlements at different historical stages.

With the Bronze Age, the coastal picture becomes clearer, and centers associated with coastal civilizations and Mediterranean trade emerge.

The importance of this stage stems from the Syrian coast being part of a vast network that connected the Eastern Mediterranean regions with each other.

• ›Ports were not just fishing spots
• ›Rather, they were gateways for trade

The sea was a means of transport for:

• ›Goods
• ›Minerals
• ›Timber
• ›Agricultural Products
• ›and ideas

In this historical context, coastal centers began to gain importance beyond their local surroundings.

The Phoenician legacy represents one of the most prominent components of Tartus Governorate's ancient history.

This is particularly evident in:

• ›Arwad
• ›And Amrit

Arwad stands out due to its island location and maritime identity, while Amrit is considered one of the most important sites preserving architectural and archaeological elements linked to Phoenician history in the region.

Arwad and Amrit form a key axis for understanding the ancient Tartus coast.

Arwad Represents Maritime and Insular Power

Amrit, on the other hand, represents an archaeological center on the roughly opposite mainland.

Through them, one can understand the relationship between:

• ›The sea
• ›The Harbor
• ›The Temple
• ›The City
• ›and the surrounding countryside

This relationship highlights the importance of ancient Tartus as part of a wider maritime world.

The region, like the rest of the Syrian coast, underwent major political transformations after the early Phoenician stages.

The Roman and Byzantine eras left significant traces throughout the Syrian coast.

This means that the governorate's history is not limited to only its Phoenician or Crusader heritage.

Rather, it contains successive layers

During these eras, the importance of the coast, roads, and cities continued, while new religious, civic, and urban structures emerged.

Christianity represents an important historical layer in the Syrian coast, especially during the Late Roman and Byzantine eras.

This layer later appears in churches, religious establishments, and local traditions.

The coast's location on trade and communication routes also facilitated the transfer of ideas and beliefs among Mediterranean cities.

The Islamic conquest ushered the region into a new historical phase, and the coastal cities became part of political and economic networks connecting them to cities in inland Syria and the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The importance of the coast continued due to:

• ›Harbors
• ›Trade Routes
• ›Defensive Position
• ›and maritime communication

However, control over the coast has always been of strategic importance, because whoever controls the port possesses a point of contact with the outside world.

This factor would become even clearer during the Crusades.

The Crusader Wars represent one of the most prominent periods in the historical urban landscape of the governorate.

Fortifications, castles, and towers remain among the most significant elements of Tartus's heritage.

Prominent among them are:

• ›Marqab Castle
• ›Safita Tower
• ›Fortifications of Tartus
• ›And Arwad Castle

Marqab Castle, Safita Tower, and Arwad Castle are among the most important archaeological sites in the governorate.

The density of these fortifications cannot be understood without understanding the geography.

Controlling the high ground means monitoring the road.

and control of the coast means protecting or threatening the port.

Therefore, the castle and the geography appear as if they are part of a single system.

The struggle for the coastal cities and their castles was followed by a significant shift in the balance of power during the Mamluk era.

The region entered a new phase after the decline of the Crusader presence.

But the importance of defensive sites did not immediately disappear.

Castles, roads, and ports remained strategic elements, even when the powers controlling them changed.

During this phase, life continued between the coastal centers and mountain villages, and agriculture, fishing, trade, and crafts remained elements of the local economy.

The relationship between the countryside and coastal markets also continued.

• ›The farmer needs the market.
• ›and the fisherman needs the harbor
• ›and the craftsman needs a network of buyers

Through these relationships, social patterns emerged, many traces of which remain present in modern local life.

If we wanted to summarize the identity of Tartus Governorate in a single element, it would not be possible.

• ›It is not merely a maritime governorate.
• ›And not just mountainous
• ›And not just Phoenician
• ›And not just a collection of castles
• ›Rather, its identity is a result of the interaction of all these elements
• ›The sea provided it with harbors, fishing, navigation, and Arwad.
• ›The plain provided agricultural land and connected cities with their countryside

The mountain provided forests, springs, villages, and defensive sites.

Its location made it a point of connection between the Mediterranean and the Syrian interior.

History left behind Amrit, Arwad, castles, towers, religious structures, and ancient cities.

Man transformed these elements into a living society.

Therefore, today, we find several layers of identity operating together within the governorate:

• ›A maritime identity among coastal communities and fishermen
• ›An agricultural identity in the countryside

A mountainous identity in the areas of Dreikish, Sheikh Badr, Safita, and Al-Qadmus.

And an urban and commercial identity in the city of Tartus, Baniyas, and other centers.

Tartus Governorate is an area where geography and history intertwine in a way that makes it difficult to separate one from the other.

The presence of the Mediterranean Sea made the coast part of trade and navigation networks since ancient times, with Arwad emerging as an important maritime center associated with fishing, shipbuilding, port activities, and marine life.

On the opposite shore, ancient civilizations left sites like Amrit, while the Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and medieval eras added further layers of urban development and archaeological remains. To the east, the land changes from coast to hills, highlands, forests, and springs, revealing areas like Safita, Dreikish, Sheikh Badr, and Al-Qadmus within a geographical and social world distinct from the coastal cities.

Hence, the history of Tartus is not the history of a single city

It is history:

• ›Island and Port
• ›City and village
• ›Coast and Mountain
• ›Fisherman and Farmer
• ›Temple, Church, and Castle
• ›A Sea Route and a Mountain Route