Al-Bayda (Arabic: ٱلْبَيْضَاء, romanized: al-Bayḍāʾ, also spelled al-Beida) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Tartus Governorate, located north of Tartus. Nearby localities include Baniyas to the north, Kharibah to the east and Maten al-Sahel to the south. It is situated just east of the Mediterranean coast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Bayda had a population of 5,783 in the 2004 census, making it the second largest locality in the Baniyas nahiyah ("subdistrict") after the city of Baniyas.[1] The inhabitants al-Bayda are predominantly Sunni Muslims with a Christian minority,[2] and together with Baniyas, Basatin al-Assad and Marqab, the villages form a Sunni-inhabited area amid the largely Alawite-inhabited heartland.[3]
al-Bayda
ٱلْبَيْضَاء al-Beida | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  al-Bayda | |
| Coordinates: 35°7′30″N 35°56′55″E / 35.12500°N 35.94861°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Baniyas |
| Subdistrict | Baniyas |
| Elevation | 149 m (488 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
| • Total | 5,783 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
During the Syrian civil war, al-Bayda fell under the control of anti-Assad elements. In May 2013 the village was subjected to government bombardment that reportedly left over 100 dead, including the town's mayor and his family.[4] According to main opposition group, a massacre took place on 2 May, committed by government and pro-government forces.[5] "Syrian troops, backed by gunmen from nearby Alawite villages, swept into the village, torched homes and used knives, guns and blunt objects to kill people in the streets."[6]
References
edit- ^ a b General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Archived 2013-01-12 at archive.today. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ Rosen, Nir. Assad's Alawites: An entrenched community. Al Jazeera English. 2011-10-12.
- ^ Holliday, Joseph. The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War. Middle East Security Report 8. Institute for the Study of War. March 2013.
- ^ Mourtada, Hania; Gladstone, Rick (2013-05-02). "Syrian Forces Strike Rebels in Wide-Ranging Assaults". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ "Syrian activists document al-Bayda and Baniyas 'massacre'". BBC News. 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Surk, Barbara. Assad regime accused of massacre of 50 Sunni villagers. The Independent. 2013-05-04.