Arwad Island Ancient Phoenician City
Take the short boat trip to Arwad Island, the remarkable inhabited island just offshore from Tartus where Phoenician walls, Byzantine towers, and Crusader fortifications layer 3,000 years of history in a tiny Mediterranean island community.
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Boat Crossing
Take the short boat crossing from Tartus to Arwad Island, the 15-minute trip to the tiny island whose entire surface is covered by the buildings and streets of a fishing community living on the ancient Phoenician city site.
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Phoenician Walls
See the Phoenician walls of Arwad where the massive stone blocks of the ancient fortification are incorporated into later buildings, the 3,000-year-old defensive circuit of the island city visible in the foundations of houses and the harbor walls.
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Island Streets
Walk the narrow alleys of Arwad where the entire island surface is packed with buildings, the density of the island settlement creating a maze of lanes between the traditional houses of the fishing community who have lived here since antiquity.
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Arwad Museum
Visit the small Arwad Museum where the Phoenician, Roman, and medieval objects found on the island demonstrate the continuous habitation of this tiny offshore city from the Bronze Age through the Crusader period to the present fishing community.
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Harbor Life
See the traditional harbor life of Arwad where the fishing boats, boat builders, and maritime crafts of the island community maintain the seafaring tradition of a community that has built wooden boats in the same harbor since the Phoenician period.
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Views of Mainland
Enjoy the view from Arwad back to the Syrian mainland where the Tartus coast and the mountains behind are visible, understanding the strategic offshore position that made this island the last refuge of the Crusaders and a Phoenician naval base for centuries before them.