Marmarita (, ) is a village in northwestern Syria, located west of Homs. Marmarita is one of the largest villages in Wadi al-Nasara ("Valley of the Christians"), a region north of Talkalakh. In 2004, Marmarita had a population of 2,206, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Etymology
The name Marmarita is believed to be derived from the
Syriac language word
Marmanitha, meaning "a place that overlooks" in possible reference to Marmarita's location above the
Akkar and Mediterranean Sea.
History
Marmarita was settled in the early 17th century by four farming families from the
Hauran 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.
Syrian civil war
On 17 August 2013 Syrian News Channel reported that militants killed and wounded Syrian Christians in Marmarita and the neighboring town of al-Husn during the religious festival known as the Dormition of the Theotokos.
(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 (also known as "Qal'at al-Ḥiṣn"), a
Crusades castle built by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem between 1142 and 1271. The castle is regarded as one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world by
UNESCO.
The annual 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 (BEY) in Lebanon (163.2 km), and Damascus International Airport (DAM) in Syria (196.2 km).
External links
