Tartus

Tartus, city, western Syria, situated on the Mediterranean coast opposite Arwād Island. It was founded in antiquity as Antaradus, a colony of Aradus (now Arwād Island). It was rebuilt in 346 ce by Emperor Constantine I and flourished during Roman and Byzantine times. Crusaders occupied Tartus, then known as Tortosa, in the Middle Ages, converting it into a fortress-town and successfully defending it against devastating attacks in the 12th century; they were driven out by the Arabs in 1291.

From the beginning of the Ottoman conquest, the town declined in importance until its port was rejuvenated in the 20th century. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa, now the town’s museum, is a perfect example of 13th-century Crusader architecture. The Castle of the Templars (late 12th to early 13th century), now mostly in ruins, can be seen in the older part of Tartus.

Syria’s second port (after Latakia), Tartus is also a fishing port and the center of a rich agricultural region. In 1971 the Soviet navy established a small base in Tartus; it remained under Russian control during the rule of Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar al-Assad. The Russian military evacuated the base after Ahmed al-Sharaa and his forces toppled Assad in December 2024, but Russian vessels returned to the base in September 2026 after reaching an agreement with Sharaa’s government. Pop. (2004) 115,769.

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