Al-Ghantu

al-Ghantu
الغنطو
al-Ghantoo
Village

al-Ghantu skyline, 2006
al-Ghantu

Location in Syria

Coordinates: 34°49′20″N 36°41′46″E / 34.82222°N 36.69611°E / 34.82222; 36.69611Coordinates: 34°49′20″N 36°41′46″E / 34.82222°N 36.69611°E / 34.82222; 36.69611
Country  Syria
Governorate Homs
District Al-Rastan
Subdistrict Talbiseh
Population (2004)
  Total 9,412
Time zone EET (UTC+3)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+2)

Al-Ghantoo (Arabic: الغنطو, also spelled al-Ghantu, ALA-LC: al-Ghanṭū: but the original name is spelled: الغُنْثُر/ Al-Ghonthor, which means the land of fountains) is a town in the west of Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate, located 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Homs. Nearby towns include Talbisa to the northeast and Taldou further to the northwest. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Ghantu had a population of 9,412 in 2004.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims,[2] many of whom are Turkmens.[3]

Most of its residents work in agriculture, and many farmers specialize in vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, peppers and others. Olive groves have increased annually. There are many places of interest in the village including old Ancient Roman bridges and water mills on the al-Assali River which passes through the west side of the village.

On 11 June 2012, anti-government fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) attacked the small military airbase situated in al-Ghantu, as part of the ongoing 2011-2012 Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The FSA was quickly repelled by a Syrian Army counterattack, but managed to withdraw with hundreds of looted weapons and ammunition. According to FSA officials, they were able to enter the base after being aided by 22 sympathetic soldiers and officers stationed at the base.[4]

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.