Kassab Armenian Village and Mountain Resort
Visit Kassab, the Syrian mountain village near the Turkish border that is home to one of the oldest Armenian communities in the world, established by survivors of the Armenian Genocide in the cool forests above the Mediterranean coast.
- 1
Kassab Village
Arrive in Kassab, the high mountain village where the Armenian community has maintained its language, church, and cultural traditions since survivors of the 1915 genocide settled here in the mountains above Latakia, creating an Armenian enclave in the Syrian mountains.
- 2
Armenian Church
Visit the Armenian Apostolic church in Kassab where the ancient liturgy in Classical Armenian is maintained by the community descended from genocide survivors, the church the cultural and spiritual center of the mountain Armenian village.
- 3
Mountain Forests
Walk in the extraordinary pine and oak forests around Kassab where the cool temperatures and high rainfall create a temperate landscape remarkable in the Syrian context, the mountain resort atmosphere attracting Syrian summer visitors from the coastal cities.
- 4
Mountain Views
Enjoy the views from the Kassab mountain ridge where the Syrian and Turkish landscapes meet, the blue Mediterranean visible to the west and the Syrian coastal range extending to the south, the geographical position that made this remote village strategically significant.
- 5
Armenian Cuisine
Try the distinctive Armenian cuisine of Kassab where the traditional dishes of the Armenian community have been adapted to the Syrian mountain environment, the manti, dolma, and Armenian pastries available in the village restaurants that serve the summer visitors.
- 6
Summer Resort
Experience Kassab as a Syrian summer resort where the cool mountain air attracts families from Latakia and Damascus seeking relief from the coastal and desert heat, the small hotels and summer houses of the mountain village filling in the summer months.