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Cities in Syria

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Damascus
Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital city in the world. Known colloquially in Syria as and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine" (), Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the country's most populous governorate. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and was the largest by population until it was surpassed by Damascus, the capital of Syria. Aleppo is also the largest city in Syria's northern governorates and one of the largest cities in the Levant region.
Hama
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.
Latakia
Latakia (; ; Syrian pronunciation: ), officially Lattakia, is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mare. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a significant manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages. According to a 2023 estimate, the population of the city is 709,000, its population greatly increased as a result of the Syrian Revolution, which led to an influx of internally displaced persons from rebel held areas
Raqqa
Raqqa (, also ), is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and bishopric Callinicum (formerly a Latin and now a Maronite Catholic titular see) was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate between 796 and 809, under the reign of Harun al-Rashid. It was also the capital of the Islamic State from 2014 to 2017. With a population of 531,952 based on the 2021 official census, Raqqa is the sixth largest city in Syria.
Tartus
Tartus ( / ALA-LC: Ṭarṭūs; also known as Tartous and also historically known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa) is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (after Latakia), and the largest city in Tartus Governorate. Tartus was under the governance of Latakia Governorate until the 1970s, when it became a separate governorate. The population is 458,327 (2023 estimate). In the summer it is a vacation spot for many Syrians.
Deir ez-Zor
city in eastern Syria
Idlib
Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey.
Daraa
Hasakah
Hasakah (; ; ) is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Hasakah is populated by Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. Hasakah is south of the city of Qamishli. The Khabur River, a tributary of the Euphrates River, flows west–east through the city. The Jaghjagh River flows into the Khabur from the north at Hasakah. The city (and the surrounding countryside) is controlled by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). After Ayn Issa came under the contr
Bosra
Bosra (), historically Bostra () and officially called Busra al-Sham (), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region.
Qamishli
Qamishli is a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria–Turkey border, adjoining the city of Nusaybin in Turkey. The Jaghjagh River flows through the city. With a 2004 census population of 184,231, it is the ninth most-populous city in Syria and the second-largest in Al-Hasakah Governorate after Al-Hasakah. Qamishli has traditionally been a Christian Assyrian majority city, but is now predominantly populated by Kurds with large numbers of Arabs and Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians. It is northeast of Damascus.
Suwayda
Suwayda (), also spelled Sweida, is a city located in southern Syria, close to the border with Jordan. It is a Druze-majority city, with small Christian and Sunni Muslim Bedouin minorities.
Quneitra
Quneitra (also Al Qunaytirah, Qunaitira, or Kuneitra; or , ) is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in south-western Syria. It is situated in a high valley in the Golan Heights at 1,010 metres (3,313 feet) above sea level. Since 1974, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 350 and the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, the city is inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone.
Manbij
Manbij () is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000. The population of Manbij is largely Arab, with Kurdish, Turkmen, Circassian, and Chechen minorities. Many of its residents practice Naqshbandi Sufism.
Afrin
City and District in Syria
Gabala
Jableh (; '', also spelt Jebleh, Jabala, Jablah, Gabala or Gibellum) is a Mediterranean coastal city in Syria, north of Baniyas and south of Latakia, with c. 80,000 inhabitants (2004 census). As Ancient Gabala'', it was a Byzantine archbishopric and remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It contains the tomb and mosque of Ibrahim Bin Adham, a legendary Sufi mystic who renounced his throne of Balkh and devoted himself to prayers for the rest of his life.
Ma'arrat Nu'man
City in Syria
Baniyas
Baniyas ( '''') is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartus Governorate, western Syria, located south of Latakia and north of Tartus. Its ancient name was Balaneais, Balanaea or Balanea but it was also called Leucas or Leucas-Claudia.
Azaz
thumb|250px|right|Azaz is the administrative center of Nahiya Azaz and the [[Azaz District.]] Azaz () is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 at the 2004 census. , its inhabitants were almost entirely Sunni Muslims, mostly Arabs but also some Turkmen.
Douma
city in Syria
Abu Kamal
town in Deir ez-Zor, Syria
Tell Abyad
village in Syria
Masyaf
Masyaf ( '''') is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The city is well known for its large medieval castle, particularly its role as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismailis and their elite Assassins unit.
Al-Malikiyah
Al-Malikiyah (; ; ), also known as Derik, is a city in northeastern Syria and the center of an administrative district belonging to Al-Hasakah Governorate. The district constitutes the northeastern corner of the country, and is where the Syrian Democratic Council convenes. The town is about west of the Tigris river which defines the triple border between Syria, Turkey and Iraq. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Al-Malikiyah had a population about 26,311 residents in the 2004 census. Other sources claim that the city has a population of 39,000 as of 2024. It is the admi
Shahba
Shahba ( / ALA-LC: Shahbā) is a city located south of Damascus in the Jabal al-Druze in Suwayda Governorate of Syria, but formerly in the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. Known in Late Antiquity as Philippopolis (in Arabia), the city was the seat of a Bishopric (see below), which remains a Latin titular see. The city had a population of 13,660 in the 2004 census. In Shahba, Druze make up the predominant population, while Christians and Sunni Muslim Bedouins represent a minority.
Safita
Safita ( ''; , Sōpūte'') is a city in the Tartus Governorate, western Syria, located to the southeast of Tartus and to the northwest of Krak des Chevaliers. It is situated on the tops of three hills and the valleys between them, in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Safita had a population of 20,301 in the 2004 census. It has a religiously mixed population of mostly Greek Orthodox Christians and Alawites.
Salamiyah
thumb|A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995)
Mayadin
Mayadin (/ALA-LC: al-Miyādīn) is a town in eastern Syria. It is the capital of the Mayadin District, part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. Mayadin is about 44 kilometers southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The Euphrates River flows through the town. In the 2004 census, the population was 44,028, making it the second most populous town in the governorate.
Al-Zabadani
Al-Zabadani or Az-Zabadani () is a city in southwestern Syria in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, close to the border with Lebanon. It is located in the center of a green valley surrounded by high mountains at an elevation of around 1,100 m.
Al-Rastan
Al-Rastan () is the third largest city in the Homs Governorate, located north of its administrative capital Homs and from Hama. Nearby localities include Talbiseh and al-Ghantu to the south, al-Zaafaraniyah and al-Mashrafah to the southeast, Murayj al-Durr to the northeast, Tumin to the north, Deir al-Fardis to the northwest and Kafr Nan and the Houla village cluster to the west. Ar-Rastan had a population of nearly 40,000 in 2004.
Tabqa
Tabqa (), formerly Al-Thawrah, is a city in Raqqa Governorate, Syria, approximately west of Raqqa. Until the 1960s it had been a relatively small settlement. The city had a population of 69,425 as of the 2004 census.
Jisr ash-Shughur
town in Syria
Darayya
Darayya () is a suburb of Damascus in Syria, the centre of Darayya lying south-west of the centre of Damascus. Administratively it belongs to Rif Dimashq.
Jaramana
Jaramana () is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in the Ghouta plain. Its location, 3 kilometers southeast of the Syrian capital, makes it a bustling town in the greater Damascus metropolitan area, with a mostly Christian and Druze population.
Al-Qusayr
city in western Syria
Al-Nabek
An-Nabek or Al-Nabek () is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq and the capital of the Qalamoun. It is located north of Damascus and south of Homs and has an altitude of . According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), An-Nabek had a population of 32,548 in the 2004 census. The Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian (Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi) is located along the Anti-Lebanon Mountains near Nabek and dates back to at least the 6th century.
Tadmur
modern city of Palmyra near its ancient ruins
Yabrud
Yabroud or Yabrud () is a city in Syria, located in the Rif Dimashq (i.e. Damascus' countryside) governorate about north of the capital Damascus. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Yabroud had a population of 25,891 in the 2004 census.
Al-Safira
As-Safira ( / ALA-LC: as-Safīrah; Aleppo dialect: Sfīre) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. It is the administrative center of the as-Safira District. As Safīrah has an altitude of , and a population of 106,382 , making it the 11th largest city per geographical entity in Syria. thumb|250px|left|As-Safira is the administrative center of Nahiya as-Safira and [[as-Safira District.]]
Harasta
Harasta (, ), also known as Harasta al-Basal or Hirista, is a town and northeastern suburb of Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Syria. Harasta has an altitude of 702 meters. It has a population of 34,184 , making it the 43rd largest city per geographical entity in Syria.
Izra
Izraa or Izra () is a city in the Daraa Governorate of Syria, to the north of the city of Daraa. It is the administrative centre of the Izraa District, and sits at an altitude of 599 metres. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Izraa had a population of 19,158 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") consisting of 21 localities with a combined population of 56,760 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims, while Christians constitute a large minority.
Salkhad
Salkhad () is a Syrian city in the Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria. It is the capital of Salkhad District, one of the governorate's three districts. It had a population of 9,155 inhabitants in the 2004 census. In Salkhad, Druze make up the predominant population, while Christians and Sunni Muslim Bedouins represent a minority.
Al-Tall
place in Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Tell Rifaat
town in Syria
Saidnaya
thumb|View of the city in 2010 Saidnaya (), also transliterated as Saydnaya, Seidnaya or Sednaya, is a city located in the mountains, above sea level, north of the city of Damascus in Syria. It is the home of a Greek Orthodox monastery traditionally held to have been founded by Byzantine emperor Justinian I, and where a renowned icon of the Virgin Mary is revered by Christians to this day. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Saidnaya had a population of 5,194 in the 2004 census.
Nawa
town in Daraa Governorate in Syria
Mharda
Maharda (, ; also transliterated Mhardeh, Muhardah, Mahardah or Mharda) is a Christian city in western Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 23 kilometers northwest of Hama. It is situated along the Orontes River, near the Ghab plain. Nearby localities include Halfaya and Taybat al-Imam to the east, Khitab to the southeast, Maarzaf to the south, Asilah and Jubb Ramlah to the southwest, Shaizar, Safsafiyah, Tremseh and Kafr Hud to the west and Kafr Zita and al-Lataminah to the north.
Jasim
Jasim (, also spelled Jasem or Jassem) is a city in the Izraa District of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria. It is located 41 kilometers north of Daraa, near Nawa to the south, Kafr Shams to the north, Inkhil to the northeast and al-Harra to the northwest. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Jasim had a population of 31,683 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") consisting of two localities with a combined population of 39,624 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
Ariha
village in Syria
Saraqib
Saraqib ( also spelled Saraqeb) is a city in northwestern Syria, administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate, located east of Idlib. During the course of the Syrian Civil War, the city fell to rebel forces in 2012 and was recaptured by the Syrian Army in 2020. The city was captured by the Syrian Salvation Government during the 2024 Northwestern Syria offensive.
Qatana
Qatana () is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Qatana District of Rif Dimashq Governorate. Qatana has an altitude of 879 meters. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 33,996 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the Qatana Subdistrict, which contained 19 localities with a collective population of 147,451 in 2004. The population reflects Syria's general religious diversity, and is made up primarily of Sunni Muslims, with minorities of Greek Orthodox Christians, Assyrians (mostly Syriac Catholics), Druze and Alawit
Ayn Issa
town and nahiyah in Raqqa, Syria
Al-Sanamayn
As-Sanamayn (, also spelled Sanamain or Sanamein) is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate and the center of as-Sanamayn District. It is located north of Daraa and south of Damascus. Nearby localities include Kafr Shams to the northwest, Deir al-Bukht to the north, Jabab to the northeast, Bassir to the east, Tubna to the southeast, Inkhil to the southwest and Qayta to the west. As-Sanamayn has an altitude of .
Harem
town in Idlib, Syria
Talkalakh
Talkalakh () is a city in western Syria administratively belonging to the Homs Governorate as the capital of the Talkalakh District just north of the border with Lebanon and west of Homs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Talkalakh had a population of 18,412 in 2004. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims, while the surrounding villages are mostly inhabited by Alawites. Most of the city's Sunni Muslim residents have fled as a result of the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Al-Suqaylabiyah
Al-Suqaylabiyah () is a city in western Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is located about from Hama and overlooks the Ghab Valley. According to the 2004 official census, the town had a population of 13,920. In 2009, the population was recorded at around 20,000. Its inhabitants are largely Greek Orthodox Christians.
Duraykish
Duraykish (, also transliterated Dreikiche or Dreykish) is a city in western Syria, in the Tartus Governorate, at a distance of about east of Tartus. The name 'Dreikiche' derives from Latin and means "three caves". The town is famous for its mineral water springs located to the south of the city. The mineral water of the town is bottled and sold under the label 'Dreikiche'. Its inhabitants are mostly Alawites.
Al-Hajar al-Aswad
city in Syria
Dayr Hafir
town in Aleppo, Syria