Al-Qadmus
القدموس Cadmus | |
|---|---|
  Al-Qadmus | |
| Coordinates: 35°6′5″N 36°9′40″E / 35.10139°N 36.16111°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Baniyas |
| Subdistrict | Al-Qadmus |
| Elevation | 850 m (2,780 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 5,551 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Al-Qadmus (Arabic: القدموس, also spelled al-Qadmous or Cadmus) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Tartus Governorate, located northeast of Tartus and 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) southeast of Baniyas. Nearby localities include Kaff al-Jaa and Masyaf to the east, Wadi al-'Uyun and al-Shaykh Badr to the south, Hammam Wasel, al-Qamsiyah and Maten al-Sahel to the southwest, Taanita to the west, al-Annazeh to the northwest and Deir Mama to the northeast. It is situated just east of the Mediterranean coast and its ruined castle stands on a plateau roughly 850 metres (2,790 feet) above sea level and just above the town.[2]
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qadmus had a population of 5,551 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the al-Qadmus nahiyah ("sub-district") which contained 25 localities with a collective population of 22,370 in 2004.[1] The inhabitants al-Qadmus are predominantly Isma'ilis and Alawites, with each community constituting about 50% of the population. The villages in the surrounding countryside are mostly inhabited by Alawites.[3]
Al-Qadmus is home to an important medieval castle that served as the headquarters of the Isma'ili community in Syria, known as the Assassins during the Crusader era. Today, the castle is largely in ruins and, along with some scattered Ottoman-era houses throughout the town, serves as a tourist site. Al-Qadmus also contains a large mosque with an octagonal minaret. The town is also a center for tobacco production in Syria.[4]
- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Tartus Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ Great Britain-Naval Intelligence Division. Syria: April 1943. (1944). Page 416.
- ^ Shora, 2008, pp. 226-230. Article written by Joshua Landis and was published on 2005-07-28.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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