“Haba” village… a Historical Heritage Attracting Tourists

The village of Haba in Safita region is one of the most charming tourist villages in Syria, surrounded by hills that decorate it with fruit trees and beautiful valleys overlooking several tall mountain peaks.

According to the Head of the village’s municipality Nidal Deeb, the village is located in the far southeastern side of Tartous Governorate, 60 km from Tartus city and 25 km from Safita, 400 meters above sea level, and most of its 3,000 inhabitants work in agriculture.

Deeb told SANA that the history of Haba village goes back to ancient times. It includes Roman tombs and mosaics carved in the rock, in addition to the shrine of Saint Simon and the cemetery around it which date back to the fifth and sixth centuries AD.

Deeb points out that the village includes the Dormition Church, which is an old church in the middle of the village and built of white stone in the early twentieth century .

He notes the interest of the village’s residents in their historical heritage to transfer it to the new generation and so they invest in some ancient landmarks to attract tourists and introduce the history of their ancient region.

The head of the municipality underscored that one of the villagers turned an old olive press into a restaurant while preserving its shape and features such as large copper machines, tools and utensils…

Rawaa Ghanam