Latakia Old Quarter
Explore the old quarter of Latakia where Ottoman-era buildings, the ancient souk, and the traditional neighborhoods of Syria Mediterranean port city preserve the historic character of Laodicea, the ancient city founded by Seleucus I.
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Ancient Souk
Walk through the Latakia souk where the covered market lanes with their small shops selling spices, textiles, and everyday goods maintain the commercial tradition of a Mediterranean port city where trade has been conducted since the 3rd century BCE.
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Ottoman Buildings
See the surviving Ottoman-era buildings of the Latakia old quarter where the architecture of the provincial Ottoman port town developed a distinctive character combining Syrian and Mediterranean influences in the commercial and residential buildings.
- 3
Roman Columns
Find the Roman columns incorporated into later buildings in the old city, the visible layers of Latakia history where the columns of ancient Laodicea appear as building material in Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman structures.
- 4
Greek Orthodox Church
Visit the Greek Orthodox church in the Latakia Christian quarter, the ancient Christian community of this port city maintaining its traditions in a church that has served the coastal Christian families for centuries.
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Traditional Houses
See the traditional Latakia houses with their courtyard plans and Mediterranean-influenced architecture, the domestic buildings of the port city combining the Syrian courtyard tradition with the influences absorbed from the wider Mediterranean world.
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Local Life
Experience the everyday life of Latakia in the streets of the old quarter where the port city character is visible in the mixture of people, the coastal informality, and the Mediterranean pace of life different from the more formal inland Syrian cities.