Qardaha
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Qardaha (Arabic: قرداحة) is a city in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia.
It is a mainly Alawite town and traditional home of the Assad family, that has ruled Syria since 1970. During the reign of Hafez al-Assad (in power 1970-2000) the government poured massive investments into Qaradaha, Lattakia and the surrounding region.
Today, this is evident already before entering Qardaha, as the broad Syrian coastal highway makes an inexplicable pass into the mountains just to reach Qardaha. Qardaha itself is considerably richer than comparable Syrian citys, and luxurious villas dominate parts of the town. A major statue of Hafez al-Assad is found in the town center, and a huge mausoleum containing the graves of Basil al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad is also located there. Major families in this town are Alkhayer, Osman, and Ismail. The Alkhayer family is considered the largest Alawi family and one of Syria's most highly educated families. The other two families are also well known among Alawites. Some famous persons from this town other than the Assads, are Aziz Abdulkarim who was a minister when Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic in 1958, and Hasan Alkhayer who was a poet killed by the regime in 1980 because of a famous poem criticizing both the dictatorship and militant terrorists.
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