Marmarita ( ar, مرمريتا, syc, ܡܪܡܪܝܬܐ, ) is a village in northwestern

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 ...

, located west of Homs. Marmarita is one of the largest villages in

Wadi al-Nasara Wadi al-Nasara ( ar, وادي النصارى / ALA-LC: ''Wādī an-Naṣārá'', Greek: Κοιλάδα των Χριστιανών, ''Koiláda ton Christianón'', which both mean "Valley of Christians") is an area in western Syria, close to the ...

("Valley of the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

"), a region north of Talkalakh. In 2004, Marmarita had a population of 2,206, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Its inhabitants are predominantly

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

and

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

and is one of the largest Christian villages in the Wadi al-Nasara ('valley of the Christians'). Marmarita is a popular summer destination and tourist attraction in Syria. The village has been part of the Homs Governorate since 1953; prior to that, it was part of the

Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة اللاذقية / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay ...

. The village has three

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

, a Greek Catholic Church and a

Protestant Church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Etymology

The name Marmarita is believed to be derived from the Syriac word ''Marmanitha'', meaning "a place that overlooks" in possible reference to Marmarita's situation above the Akkar Plateau and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

History

Marmarita was settled in the early 17th century by four farming families from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

and the

Hauran The Hauran ( ar, حَوْرَان, ''Ḥawrān''; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, eastwards by the al-Safa (Syria), al-Safa ...

plateau. These families built three churches (St. John, St. Saba, and St. Boutros) which still remain on the outskirts of the village. Local folklore suggests that the site of the village may have been occupied as early as the 6th century CE, but any habitation was destroyed by a volcanic eruption of the Levant Fault zone. No evidence of earlier

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n settlement was found. Marmarita New Church

Syrian civil war

On 17 August 2013

Syrian News Channel Syrian News Channel ( ar, الإخبارية السورية), also known as alikhbaria Syria or Al-Ikhbariyah Syria, is a state-run television station based in Damascus, Syria, launched in December 15, 2010. The channel is headed by Imad Sara. S ...

reported that militants killed and wounded Syrian Christians in Marmarita and the neighboring town of

al-Husn Al-Husn ( ar, الحصن, also spelled al-Hisn) is a large village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located west of Homs and north of the border with Lebanon. Nearby localities include al-Huwash to the east, ...

during the religious festival known as the Dormition of the Theotokos.

Jund al-Sham Jund al-Sham ( ar, جند الشام, lit=The Sham Division) is or was the name of multiple Sunni Islamic jihadist militant groups. Founded around 1991 in Jordan and trained in 1999 in Afghanistan with financial support from Osama bin Laden, ...

(Soldiers of the Levant) claimed responsibility. It was later claimed that the militant group retreated to Lebanon.

Climate

In Marmarita, the climate is warm and temperate. In winter there is much more rainfall in Marmarita than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Csa. The average annual temperature in Marmarita is . About of precipitation falls annually.

Tourism

Marmarita is surrounded by a number of ruins and historical sites. The best known of these is the

Krak des Chevaliers Krak des Chevaliers, ar, قلعة الحصن, Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn also called Hisn al-Akrad ( ar, حصن الأكراد, Ḥiṣn al-Akrād, rtl=yes, ) and formerly Crac de l'Ospital; Krak des Chevaliers or Crac des Chevaliers (), is a medieva ...

(also known as "Qal'at al-Ḥiṣn"), a Crusader castle built by the

Order of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

between 1142 and 1271. The castle is regarded as one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The annua
Carnival Marmarita
was established in 1972 and features processions of vehicles and dancers in costumes. . Marmarita's population changes with the seasons: in winter, the population is about 2,500; in summer it increases to between 25,000 and 30,000 as formerly local families return from jobs in nearby cities to vacation in the area.

Transport

Marmarita is located approximately 13 km north of the M1 motorway, roughly halfway between Tartus and Homs. The closest airports to Marmarita are Bassel Al-Assad International Airport (LTK) in Syria (93.1 km),

Beirut International Airport Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...

(BEY) in Lebanon (163.2 km), and Damascus International Airport (DAM) in Syria (196.2 km).

References

External links

Marmarita's official website
Archived from the original on 26 February 2007. {{Use dmy dates, date=September 2013 Populated places in Talkalakh District Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Syria Christian communities in Syria