Lattakia
:
A small coastal town, Latakia
has developed considerably in the last few decades. To stop
Syria's dependence on Iskanderoun and the Lebanese ports,
Latakia was equipped with a modern harbor more than 20
years ago. It now has a University and is linked to Aleppo
on the national railway lines. As Syria's primary port it
has great economic significance for the rest of the
country.
Latakia has the best beaches in Syria and to harness this,
two or three luxury resorts are situated a few miles north
of the city. Also built on the coast is the great sports
complex built for the Mediterranean games that were held
here in 1988.
Historically, Latakia does not offer much, it has a quite
modern feel to it. However the ancient excavation site of
Ugarit and Saladin's castle are not far away, and Latakia
is often used as a base for visiting these sites.
Latakia is situated 341 Km from Damascus and can be visited
via Tartous or Homs, while it is only 183 Km from Aleppo
and can be visited by train.
The History of Lattakia
Latakia's history goes back a long way. In the 2nd
Millennium BC Latakia was part of the Kingdom of Ugarit.
Ugarit a Syro-Phoenician kingdom is being excavated at the
moment about 20 Km north of Latakia. It then fell to the
Assyrians, and then the Persians.
It later became an important part of the Seleucid kingdom
and with corresponding Antioch, Apamea, and
Seleucia-on-Tigris was considered one of the most important
cities of this kingdom. It was named after the mother of
Seleucos I the founder of this kingdom, whose name was
Laodicea. It then fell in the hands of all the following
occupiers of Syria and became part of the Roman and
Byzantine empires, the Islamic dynasties, and played an
important role in the Crusader wars. It was mentioned in
the Bible in connection with the Apostles.
It went through a couple of earthquakes in 494 and 555 and
was rebuilt by Justinian. It was taken by the Arabs and
then to the Byzantines and then to the Seljuk Turks in
1084. Under the crusaders it was first incorporated into
the principality of Antioch and was given the name of La
Liche by the Latin prince Tancred who considered it a part
of the Latin Bishopric. In 1188 the powerful Ayyubid leader
Saladin occupied it, and it remained as a Muslim area under
Aleppo's control. In 1260 it fell back into crusader hands.
At this point it was added to the county of Tripoli, and
remained so for nearly a century. A heavy earthquake
destroyed most of Latakia in 1287, and the chance was taken
by the Emir of Saone (Saladin's Castle) who attacked and
sacked the town. A Venetian trading colony was stationed in
Latakia from 1228 till 1436 when it was expelled.
Under the Ottomans it was not considered very important and
was a dependency of Tripoli or Hama. It was not very
significant under the French either, with a small port that
could harbor a few boats, but has since been developed into
Syria's major port.
Copyright © Syrian embassy-London 2005