Qardaha

Qardaha (Arabic: القَرْدَاحَة, romanized: Qardāḥah) is a town in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia. Nearby localities include Kilmakho to the west, Bustan al-Basha to the southwest, Harf al-Musaytirah to the southeast and Muzayraa to the north. According to the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics, Qardaha had a population of 8,671 in 2004. It has a predominantly Alawite population and is the traditional home of the Assad family, which ruled Syria from 1970 until 2024. Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who ruled from 1970 to 2000, was born in Qardaha. Under Assad, the government poured massive investments into Qardaha, Latakia and the surrounding region. Qardaha has many luxurious villas. A major statue of Hafez al-Assad used to exist in the town center, and a huge mausoleum containing the graves of Bassel al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad was also previously located there. Hasan al-Khayer was also born in Qardaha.