Official Name: | Husayn al-Baher |
Native Name: | حصين البحر |
Pushpin Map: | Syria |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
Subdivision Name1: | Tartus |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Tartus |
Subdivision Type3: | Subdistrict |
Subdivision Name3: | Al-Sawda |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Population As Of: | 2004 |
Population Total: | 4,350 |
Timezone: | EET |
Utc Offset: | +2 |
Timezone Dst: | EEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Coordinates: | 34.9822°N 35.9047°W |
Husayn al-Baher (Arabic: حصين البحر, also spelled Husain al-Bahr or Hussein al-Baher) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Tartus Governorate, located north of Tartus. Nearby localities include Maten al-Sahel to the north, Annazah to the northeast, al-Sawda to the east, Awaru and Khirbet al-Faras to the southeast and Dweir al-Shaykh Saad to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Husayn al-Baher had a population of 4,350 in the 2004 census, making it the largest locality of the al-Sawda nahiyah ("sub-district").[1] The inhabitants of the village are predominantly Alawites,[2] along with a Christian minority.
In 1970 the village became part of the newly established municipality of al-Sawda along with the mostly Alawite villages of Maten al-Sahel, Mazra'a, Mazra'a Shamamis, Bayt Jadid, the Sunni Muslim village of Zamrin, the Christian villages of al-Sawda and Bashtar, and the Ismaili village of Awaru. However, in 1985 Husayn al-Baher became a separate municipality due to its size and the good relations between the village residents, many of whom are members of the ruling Ba'ath Party, and the authorities.[2] Husayn al-Baher is the birthplace of the Syrian writer Haidar Haidar[3] and playwright Saadallah Wannous.