Tartus

**Tartus** (, leeterally pit ower as **Tartous**) is a city on the Mediterranean coast o Sirie. Tartus is the seicond maistmuckle port city in Sirie (efter Latakia), an the caipital an maistmuckle city in Tartus Govrenorate. The population size is 98,000 (year 2010 estimate).

## Geography an climate
The city lies on the eastren coast o the Mediterranean Sea mairched bi the Alawite Muntains tae the east. Arwad, the anely inhabitit island on the Sirian coast, is locatit a few kilometres aff the shore o Tartus.

Tartus occupees maist o a flat area, surroondit tae the east bi hills componed mainly o limestane an, in certain places aroond the toun o Souda, basalt.

### Climate
The climate is Mediterranean, wi short winter months an a moderate temperature frae Apryle til October. The hills tae the east o the city mak an alternative environment an climate. Tartus is kent for its mild wather an heich precipitation. Humidity in the simmer can reach 80%.

## History
### Phoenicie Antaradus

The History o Tartus gangs back tae the 2nt millennium BC whan it wis foondit as a Phoenicie colony o Aradus. The colony wis kent as Antaradus (frae Greek "Anti-Arados → Antarados", *Anti-Aradus*, meanin "The toun facin Arwad"). Nae hintle remains o the Phoenician Antaradus, the mainland dounset that wis linked tae the mair important an mair muckle settlements o Aradus, aff the shore o Tartus, an the nearbi steid o Amrit.

### Greco-Roman an Byzantine
The city wis cried Antaradus in classical Laitin. The city wis favored bi emperor Constantine for its devotion tae the cult o the Virgin Mary. The first chapel tae be dedicatit tae the Virgin is seyed tae hae been biggit here in the 3rd century.
### Islamic
Muslim airmies conquered Tartus unner the leadership o Ayyan bin al-Samet al-Ansary in 636.
### Crusades

The Crusaders cried the ceety Antartus, an an' aa' Tortosa. First captured bi Raymond o Saint-Gilles, it wis left in 1105 tae his son Alfonso Jordan an wis kent as **Tortosa**. In 1123 the Crusaders biggit the kirk o Oor Lady o Tortosa upon this steid. It nou hooses this altar an haes received mony pilgrims. The Cathedral itsel wis uised as a mosque efter the Muslim reconquest o the ceety, then as a barracks bi the Ottomans. It wis renovatit unner the French an is nou the ceety museum, containin antiquities recovered frae Amrit an mony ither steids in the region.
Nur ad-Din Zangi retrieved Tartus frae the Crusaders for a brief time afore he lost it again.
In 1152, Tortosa wis haundit tae the Knights Templar, who uised it as a military heidquarters. Thay engaged in some major biggin projects, constructin a castle wi a lairge chapel an an elaborate keep, surroondit bi thick dooble concentric waws. The Templars' mission wis tae pertect the ceety an surroondin lands, some o which haed been occupeed bi Christian settlers, frae Muslim attack. The ceety o Tortosa wis recaptured bi Saladin in 1188, an the main Templar heidquarters relocatit tae Cyprus. Housomeivver, in Tortosa, some Templars wur able tae retreat intae the keep, that thay continued tae uise as a base for the next 100 years. Thay steadily addit tae its fortifications till it fell, in 1291. Tortosa wis the last ootpost o the Templars on the Sirian mainland, efter that thay retreated tae a garrison on the nearbi island o Arwad, that thay kept for anither decade.

## Economy
Tartus is an important trade centre in Sirie an haes ane o the twa main ports o the kintra on the Mediterranean. The ceety port is experiencin major expansion as a lot o Iraqi imports come throu the port o Tartus tae aid reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

Tartus is a popular destination for tourists. The ceety affers guid sandy beaches an several resorts. The ceety enjoyed major investments in the last few years. The lairgest bein ''Antaradus'' waterfront development.

## Transportation
Tartus haes a well-developed road netwirk an heich-gates. The Chemins de Fer Syriens operatit railwey netwirk connects Tartus tae major ceeties in Sirie, awtho anerlie the Latakia-Tartus passenger connection is in service.

## Roushie Naval activity
The ceety hosts a Soviet-era naval supply an maintenance base, unner a 1971 agreement wi Sirie, still staffed bi Roushie naval personnel. In pairticular, the Roushie Navy's 5t Mediterranean Squadron haes been uisin the base. It haes been reportit that Roushie an Sirie are conductin talks aboot permittin Roushie tae develop an enlairge the base in order tae establish a stranger naval presence in the Mediterranean, an amidst the deterioratin Roushie relations wi the wast in conjunction wi the 2008 Sooth Ossetie war‎ an the plans tae deploy US missile defense shield in Poland, it haes been assertit that Preses Assad haes agreed tae Tartus port’s conversion intae a permanent Middle East base for Roushie's nuclear-airmed warships. Moscow an Damascus additionally annoonced that it wad be renovatin the port, awtho thare wis nae mention in the Sirian press. On September 19, ten Roushie warships docked in Tartus. Accordin tae Lebanese-Sirian commentator Joseph Farah the flotilla which haes been muivit tae Tartus consists o the ''Moskva'' cruiser an fower nuclear missile submarines. Accordin tae Farah upgrades o the port facilities are awready unner wey. Syne 1992 the port haes been in disrepair wi anerlie ane o its three floatin piers remainin operational, but the facilities nou are bein restored.

On September 22, 2008, Roushie Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said the nuclear-powered battlecruiser Peter The Great, accompanied bi three ither ships, sailed frae the Northren Fleet's base o Severomorsk. The ships will cover aboot  tae conduct joint maneuvers wi the Venezuelan navy. Dygalo refused tae comment on Monday's report in the daily *Izvestia *claimin that the ships wur tae mak a stopower in the Sirian port o Tartus on thair way tae Venezuela. Roushie officials said the Soviet-era base thare wis bein renovated tae serve as a foothold for a permanent Roushie navy presence in the Mediterranean.

On Julie 20, 2009 RIA Novosti reportit that the base wad be made fully operational tae support anti-piracy operations. It will support a Roushie naval presence in the Mediterranean as a base for "guidit-missile cruisers an even aircraft carriers".

## Main sichts

The historic centre o Tartus consists o mair recent buildings biggit on an inside the waws o the Crusader-era Templar fortress, whose moat still separates this auld toun frae the modren ceety on its northren an eastren sides. Ootside the fortress few historic remains can be seen, wi the exception o the umwhile cathedral o Notre-Dame o Tartus (Oor Lady o Tortosa), frae the 12t century. The kirk is nou the steid o a museum. Umwhile Preses Hafez Assad an his predominantly Islamic admeenistration haed promised tae return the steid tae the Christians as a seembol o deep Christianity in Sirie, housomeivver he dee'd afore this promise wis executit. Assad's son, Preses Bashar Assad, haes claimed tae honour his faither's promise.

Tartus an the surroondin aurie are rich in antiquities an aircheological steids. Various important an weel kent steids are locatit athin a 30-minute drive frae Tartus. Thir attractions include:
* The auld ceety o Tartus.
* Marqab Castle, north o the ceety.
* The historic Toun o Safita.
* Arwad island an castle.
* The auncient cathedral o Oor Lady o Tortosa, nou uised as the ceety museum.
* Beit el-Baik Palace.
* Hosn Suleiman Temple.
* Mashta Al Helou resort.
* Drekish toun-resort.

The ootlyin toun o Al Hamidiyah juist sooth o Tartus is notable for haein a Greek-speakin population o aboot 3,000 who are Muslims in thair releegion. Thair ancestors muivit thare in the late 19t century frae Crete.

## Notable fowk
* Saadallah Wannous (1941–1997), playwricht, an first Arab tae deliver the Internaitional Theatre Day address.
* Sheikh Saleh Al-Ali, a pre-unthirldom Sirian revolutionary who focht against the French mandate.
* Dr. Halim Barakat, novelist, sociologist an retired research professor.
* Jamal Suliman, actor.
* George Wassouf, famous Arab popstarn.
* Ghassan Masoud, actor.
* Giana Eid, actress.
* Qussai Al-Khaoli, actor.
* Rana Jammoul, actress.
* Ahmad Harhash, actor.
* Nashwa Taher, Arabic Linguist at George Washington Varsity.

## Photo gallery

## References

* http://www.abufares.net/search/label/Tartous Articles, stories an posts aboot Tartous (Tartus). Geography, history an legends frae ane o the maist fascinating Mediterranean Old Cities.

## Freemit airtins
* http://www.abufares.net/p/sea-side.html Sea Side bi Mariyah an Abufares. A novel wi the backdrop o the Sirian coast an the bonnie ceety o Tartus
### News & Events
* http://abufares.net  Abufares said... the warld accordin tae a Tartoussi, an Inglis blog frae Tartous
* eTartus  The First Complete wabsteid for Tartus news an services

### Govrenmental Services
* E.sy  The First Complete Govrenmental Online Services

### Freemit airtins
* Tartus Ceety Council 
* Tartus Port