Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium () is a multi-use stadium located in the Syrian city of
Homs
Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...
. It is the 3rd-largest
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and is mostly used for football matches. It serves as a home ground of
Al-Karamah SC and
Al-Wathba SC
Al-Wathba Sport Club ( ar, نادي الوثبة الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in Homs, that competes in the Syrian Premier League.
History
Al-Wathba is a professional football club based in Homs, Syria, and they ...
and holds around 32,000 spectators.
History
The greater part of the necropolis of
Tell Abu Sabun
The necropolis of Emesa, also known as the necropolis of Tell Abu Sabun, was an ancient necropolis of modern-day Homs, in Syria.
Excavations begun in August 1936 uncovered a total of 22 tombs before the greater part of this necropolis was made to ...
was made to disappear by 1952 in order to build the stadium.
Through the efforts of Homs city council, the ground was opened in 1960 as a simple football field to be known as Homs Municipal Stadium. The stadium was also named Jura Abou-Saboun Stadium. In 1967, a small tribune of 2,000 spectators was built to host a small number of supporters. In 1980, the capacity of the stadium was expanded to hold up to 12,000 fans, with the installation of new lighting towers. In 2004, the stadium was completely renovated and expanded to its current capacity of 32,000 spectators.
In the same year, the venue was renamed after the
sahabi Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
who died and was buried in 642 in
Emesa.
See also
*
List of football stadiums in Syria
References
Football venues in Syria
Buildings and structures in Homs
Homs
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