Safita
Overview of Safita.
Safita Location in Syria
Coordinates: 34°49′N 36°07′E / 34.817°N 36.117°E / 34.817; 36.117
Country	Syria
Governorate	Tartous Governorate
District	Safita District
Area code(s)	43

The Tower.

Safita (Arabic: صا فيتا‎, Ṣāfītā) is a city in northwestern Syria, located to the southeast of Tartous and to the northwest of Krak des Chevaliers. The city has a population of 33,000. It's situated atop three hills and the valleys between them, in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range. Safita grew prominent during the Crusades, and was inhabited by the Knights Templar of the castle Chastel Blanc, while a part of the County of Tripoli.

History

The city has been inhabited since the times of the Phoenicians, and several archaeological discoveries have been made, including Phoenician and Canaanite settlements. In 1102, Raymond IV of Toulouse began to take the land of the Banu Ammars Emirs of Tripoli. A four-year siege on Tripoli resulted in full control of the city and many lands surrounding it, including Safita. Mamluk Sultan Baibars captured the castle in 1271.

Sister cities

• Marrickville, Australia
• Lalor (Melbourne)

Notes

Coordinates: 34°49′N 36°07′E / 34.817°N 36.117°E / 34.817; 36.117

Tartus Governorate Cities Ash-Shaykh Badr · Baniyas · Duraykish · Safita · Tartus Towns and villages Al Hamidiyah · Kafroun · Khirbet al-Faras · Mashta Al-Helou · Maten Al-Sahel · Al-Qadmus · Sebei