Baniyas

Government

Baniyas (Arabic بانياس, DMG Baniyas; antique: Balanaia; sometimes also listed as Banias ) is a port city in the province of Tartus in Syria with about 43,000 inhabitants ( 2009).

• 3.1 antiquity
• 3.2 Middle Ages and modern times
• 3.3 massacre in Baniyas

Location

Baniyas is located on the Mediterranean, at the foot of a ridge of Jebel Ansariye between Latakia (35 km to the north) and Tartus (25 km to the south). After Hamah in the east is about 70 km. Six kilometers south of Baniyas is located on a 280 -meter-high fold, volcanic hill the ruins Margat.

Economy

The place was a long time the endpoint of two oil pipelines from Kirkuk (Iraq), but they were shut down in 1982 by Syria because of the Iran -Iraq war. The reopening of the Tapline (trans- Arabian pipeline; Kirkuk - Baniyas pipeline ) was carried out in November 2000 in the vicinity of the city there are large oil refineries. .

Port

The 25 berths comprehensive seaport is designed for medium size boats. Interpreted it is for ships of a maximum length of 25 m and a maximum draft of 3 m.

History

Antiquity

At the site of the present Baniyas Phoenicians founded an ancient settlement which was known to the Greeks under the name Balemia. Maybe in the Hellenistic era it took, according to Stephanos of Byzantium to the borrowed from the Greek island of the same name Leucas. It belonged to the territory of Arados and was therefore expected of Stephanos of Byzantium to Phoinike. In Roman times it was as Balanea the southern port city of the province of Syria. The first known Christian bishop of the city was present in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea. Under Theodosius II Balanea became the province of Syria Secunda, beaten under Justinian to the Provincial Theo Doria.

Medieval and modern times

In the 7th century the town fell into the hands of the Arabs. Since 1109 she was in possession of the Principality of Antioch, a Christian crusader state, and now bore the name Valania. From 1176-1285 it belonged to the Order of St. John. In 1285 they came to the Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, 1516 Ottoman Empire and to the 1920 Syria.

Massacre in Baniyas

While the Syrian revolution occurred in Baniyas to a massacre of at least 200 deaths, which come in large part of the Sunni faith. According to the massacre is seen as an attempt to operate in the region a denominational cleaning.