Taldou | |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Native Name: | تلدو |
Pushpin Map: | Syria |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Syria |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
Subdivision Name1: | Homs |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Taldou |
Subdivision Type3: | Subdistrict |
Subdivision Name3: | Taldou |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Population As Of: | 2004 |
Population Total: | 15,727 |
Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
Timezone: | EET |
Utc Offset: | +2 |
Timezone Dst: | +3 |
Coordinates: | 34.8831°N 36.5°W |
Taldou (ar|تلدو|Talldū, also spelled Tall Daww, Taldo, Tall Dhu or Taldao) is a town in the Houla region of northern Syria, north of Homs in the Homs Governorate. Nearby towns include Burj al-Qa'i to the east, Tallaf to the northeast, Kafr Laha and Tell Dahab to the north, Qarmas and Maryamin to the northwest, al-Taybah al-Gharbiyah and al-Shinyah to the west, Kabu to the southwest, Sharqliyya to the south and Ghur Gharbiyah to the southeast. In 2004 it had a population of 15,727 according to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.[2]
On May 25, 2012, together with the neighboring village al-Shumariyeh, Taldou was the scene of the Houla massacre in which 108 civilians, including 49 children and 32 women, were killed, allegedly by Syrian Army shelling and ground attacks by pro-government Shabeeha militiamen.[3] As of 21 June 2012, government forces have been driven from the town center and are relegated to positions on the town's periphery. On May 15, 2018, Syrian forces retook the town.[4] [5]