Latakia, Syria

🇸🇾 Latakia is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mare. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing centre for surrounding agricultural towns and villages. Its population greatly increased as a result of the ongoing Syrian Civil War, which led to an influx of refugees from rebel held areas. It is the 4th-largest city in Syria after Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs. It borders Tartus to the south, Hama to the east, and Idlib to the north, and Cape Apostolos Andreas, the north-eastern tip of Cyprus, is about 68 miles (109 km) away.

Although the site of the city has been inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC, the city was founded in the 4th century BC under the rule of the Seleucid Empire. Latakia was subsequently ruled by the Romans, followed by the Ummayads and Abbasids during the 8th–10th centuries AD. Byzantines ruling groups frequently attacked the city, periodically recapturing it before losing it again to Arab powers, particularly the Fatimids. Afterward, Latakia was ruled successively by the Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks, and the Ottomans. Following World War I, Latakia was assigned to the French mandate of Syria, in which it served as the capital of the autonomous territory of the Alawites. This autonomous territory became the Alawite State in 1922, proclaiming its independence a number of times until reintegrating into Syria in 1944.

Economy The Port of Latakia (Arabic: ميناء اللاذقية) is the main seaport in Syria. It was established on the 12th of February, 1950, and has boosted the city's importance ever since. The port's imported cargo include clothing, construction materials, vehicles, furniture, minerals, tobacco, cotton, and food supplies such as lintels, onions, wheat, barley, dates, grains and figs, and in 2008, the port handled about 8 million tons of cargo.

The largest area of the port with 43 hectares occupies the container terminal. The storage capacity is up to 17,000 containers. Latakia was connected to six ferry lines to Alexandria (Egypt), Izmir (Turkey) and Beirut (Lebanon). It is not known whether the lines still exist in the Syrian civil war, which has been going on since 2011.

The marina Latakia has 150 berths for ships up to a maximum length of 25 meters and 4 meters draught. The Syrian Navy has one of four bases in Latakia.

Agriculture Latakia has an extensive agricultural hinterland. Exports include bitumen (asphalt), cereals, cotton, fruits, eggs, vegetable oil, pottery, and tobacco. Cotton ginning, vegetable-oil processing, tanning, and sponge fishing serve as local industries for the city.

Tourist Industry The Cote d'Azur Beach of Latakia is Syria's premier coastal resort, and offers water skiing, jet skiing, and windsurfing. The city contains eight hotels, two of which have five-star ratings; both the Cote d'Azur de Cham Hotel and Lé Meridien Lattiquie Hotel are located 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the city, at Cote d'Azur. The latter hotel has 274 rooms and is the only international hotel in the city.

Compared to other Syrian cities, window shopping and evening strolls in the markets is considered a favorite pastime in Latakia. Numerous designer-label stores line 8 Azar Street, and the heart of the city's shopping area is the series of blocks enclosed by 8 Azar Street, Yarmouk Street, and Saad Zaghloul Street in the city center. Cinemas in Latakia include Ugarit Cinema, al-Kindi, and a smaller theater off al-Moutanabbi Street.