Bloudan

Bloudan (Arabic: بلودان, romanized: Blūdān) is a Syrian village located 51 kilometers north-west of Damascus, in the Rif Dimashq Governorate; it has an altitude of about 1500 meters. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics it had a population of 3,101. The majority of the inhabitants are Greek Orthodox Christian, and a significant minority are Sunni Muslim and Protestant. Bloudan is situated on top of a hill that overlooks the Al-Zabadani plain and is surrounded by mountain forests. Its moderate temperature and low humidity in summer attracts visitors from Damascus and throughout Syria; as a tourist destination, it is visited by thousands every year, mainly Arabs from Lebanon and the Arab States of the Arabic Gulf. In winter, Bloudan is usually snowy and draws skiers. Bloudan has restaurants and hotels, including the Great Bloudan Hotel.