Baniyas
Syrian city
Baniyas (Arabic: بَانِيَاس Bāniyās) is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartus Governorate, western Syria, located 55 km (34 mi) south of Latakia and 35 km (22 mi) north of Tartus. Its ancient name was Balaneais, Balanaea or Balanea but it was also called Leucas or Leucas-Claudia.
It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood. North of the city is an oil refinery, the largest in Syria, and a power station. The oil refinery is connected with Iraq by the Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline (defunct since the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq).
On a nearby hill stands the Crusader castle of Margat (Qalʻat al-Marqab), a huge Knights Hospitaller fortress built with black basalt stone.
History
Ancient
In Phoenician and Hellenistic times, it was an important seaport. Some have identified it with the Hellenistic city of Leucas (from colonists from the island Lefkada), in Greece, mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium. It was a colony of Aradus, and was placed by Stephanus in the late Roman province of Phoenicia, though it belonged rather to the province of Syria. In Greek and Latin, it is known as Balanaea or Balanea (Βαλανέαι).
The public source identifies “Baniyas” as syrian city. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Baniyas, Syrian and city.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Baniyas”, the useful work is to connect “syrian city” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q263922. VIAF identifies the subject as 137192980. The Library of Congress control number is n79044526. Authority coordinates are 35.182, 35.940. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2003.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Baniyas” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.