Featured places
Mosques, caravanserais, souks, museums — and why they are worth the walk.
100 Places
Sahr al-Lajat, a Roman Sanctuary and Village
A Roman sanctuary and village with no road to it at the north tip of al-Lajat: the 1998-2001 digs, a small 7-row theatre, and why no visit can be recommended yet.
Daraa · Roman
Safita, the Hill Town Around the White Tower
Spread over three hills south-east of Tartus, Safita grew out of the stones of a Crusader castle: the line of its outer wall, the Castle Quarter, an Ottoman past.
Tartus · Phoenician — Crusader — Ottoman — present
Al-Mashnaqa Arch: the Lesser Church of Dionysias in Suwayda
A basalt arch that gives its name to a square and roundabout in central Suwayda: the one standing piece of a Byzantine church, carved with bunches of grapes.
As-Suwayda · Byzantine
The Great Mosque of Latakia
Latakia’s Ayyubid mosque, dated 1210 by the inscription over its entrance: a prayer hall under five domes, a stone minaret and a madrasa added on its west in 1422.
Latakia · Ayyubid — Mamluk
The Al-Saliba Mosque in Latakia
An Ottoman mosque named after Latakia’s old al-Saliba quarter and recorded in a 1749 decree: a four-domed prayer hall behind concrete extensions added from 1952.
Latakia · Ottoman
The Al-Mashati Mosque in Latakia
A small mosque on Yarmouk Street in Latakia’s old al-Saliba quarter: a Crusader-era church that became a mosque after Saladin took the city back in 1188.
Latakia · Crusader — Ayyubid
Sheikh al-Batrani Mosque, Latakia
A mosque in Latakia’s al-Kamiliyah quarter where a small Mamluk-era vaulted hall survives inside the 2005 and 2015 extensions, and how to tell old from new.
Latakia · Mamluk (most likely 14th–15th century); extensions in 2005 and 2015
St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Latakia
The Greek Orthodox cathedral of Latakia and the city’s largest church, rebuilt with donations in 1936–1940. A marble plaque dated 1940 records the work.
Latakia · French Mandate (1936–1940); earlier church repaired 1723 and 1848
St Nicholas Church, Latakia
Latakia’s Greek Orthodox church on the goldsmiths’ souq, repaired in 1722 and merged with Mar Musa in 1845. A street now runs over part of the older building.
Latakia · Origin disputed (6th century suggested); repairs 1722 and 1845
The Al-Bazar Mosque in Latakia
An Ottoman mosque in the middle of Latakia’s market, dated 1824-1825 by its door inscriptions and merged with the neighbouring Al-Omari Mosque in 1899-1900.
Latakia · Ottoman
The Al-Fattahi Zawiya in Latakia
A Mamluk Sufi lodge from 1291 in Latakia’s al-Saliba quarter, with an octagonal stone minaret added in 1746 and a newer mosque of the same name next door.
Latakia · Mamluk — Ottoman
Hamidiye Serail, Latakia
Latakia’s Ottoman government house, built in 1905 and named after Sultan Abdulhamid II. Today it is the police headquarters, so only the stone façade is seen.
Latakia · Ottoman, 1905 (reign of Abdulhamid II)