Arwad is a small island that was settled in the early 2nd millennium BC by the Phoenicians. The still inhabited island lies across the sea from the Syrian port of Tartus (the ancient Tortosa), which its fortifications helped to protect. In the time of the Crusades, it was used as a bridgehead by the Crusaders. It was the last piece of land that the Crusaders maintained in the Holy Land.

You may never have heard about it, I certainly didn’t, but in ancient times, this was an important place. It was written about by Strabo, and features in the Amarna letters and the Bible. It thrived from the 2nd millennium BC to about 1300, and now is trying to make a comeback on Syria’s tourist circuit. This article from Aramco World describes its story well.

Although it was on our itinerary, our guide tried to dissuade us from going as previous tourists he had taken there found it filthy and warned him to take it off the itinerary. The Bradt Guide describes it as “the whole place is horribly polluted … inadequate sanitary conditions”. But we were stubborn: my trip mates fancied a boat ride and I wanted the experience of a so far unreviewed and “unpictured” TWHS. The island is a popular outing from the city of Tartus: from its marina, public ferries leave constantly to make the 20-minute crossing. On a Saturday afternoon, it did not take long for our boat to fill with Syrian day trippers.

I imagined it to be a bit like Lamu; there is no motorized traffic on Arwad either, but it is much more an extension of the Syrian coastal cities such as Latakia and Tartus. Yes, they could do more about garbage collecting (mostly plastics) but it wasn’t too bad. The center of the island has a Citadel of Crusader/Mamluk/Ottoman origin and a bunch of souvenir shops. More rewarding is a walk along the coast of the whole island (it’s only 800 by 500m).

Most notable are the ramparts, best visible on the northern side of the island. These were built by the Seleucids or even the Phoenicians, using blocks hewn from the island’s natural rock and sometimes mixing it with the features of the bedrock. A small Islamic place of prayer has been integrated into the rock as well. On the southern side, a warf still produces traditional wooden ships.

Overall, it’s a pleasant excursion for an hour or two when you are in Tartus and have some time on your hands. But I cannot see this ever being nominated as a WHS.