Baniyas is a city in Tartus Governorate, Syria, located 34 miles south of Latakia and 21.7 miles north of Tartus. The city was settled by Phoenicians before the Greeks founded the city of "Leucas", and it was a city of the Roman Empire under the name of "Balanaea". A bishopric was founded by the 6th century, and it became a titular see of the Catholic Church. During the Crusades, the city was a stronghold of the Saracens during their struggle against the Crusaders, but in 1176 the city was conquered by the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baniyas developed to have a population of 43,000 people in 2009, and it prospered due to its citrus fruit orchards and its vast wood exports. However, it was subjected to anti-Sunni violence on 2-3 May 2013 during the Syrian Civil War, with as many as 200 people being killed by Shabiha and National Defense Forces militiamen loyal to the Syrian Arab Republic. Because of its location on the Syrian shore, Baniyas is populated by Alawites and Christians as well as Sunnis.
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