Homs-Sana
The Ministry of Tourism has chosen the town of Al-Mashtaya, located at the foot of Jabal Al-Sayeh in the western countryside of Homs, as the best Syrian tourist town to enter a competition organized by the United Nations worldwide in this field.
The director of Homs Tourism, Malak Abbas, told SANA reporter that the town had been nominated to the World Tourism Organization to participate in the competition for the best tourist town in the world due to its multiple tourist attractions and factors, the most important of which is its embrace of Christian monasteries in the Middle East, “The Monastery of Saint George al-Humaira,” which dates back to It was built in the sixth century AD and is considered a tourist, religious and historical attraction, in addition to the town’s view of the Citadel of the Fort, one of the most important archaeological monuments in Syria, in addition to the town’s richness in picturesque landscapes with abundant springs, the most important of which is the Fawar spring, which contributed to the establishment of dozens of restaurants, rest houses, hotels, cafes and other requirements. Tourism promotion.
Abbas indicated that the recreational and promotional activities such as the popular parties and religious and social rituals that Al-Mashtaia town witnesses throughout the year, in addition to the support provided to it by the residents and expatriates, helped in choosing this beautiful town in the hope that it would win the award.
Mayor of Al Mashtaia Municipality, Eng. Hassan Salibi, pointed out that this town has witnessed various commercial and tourism activities since its inception thanks to its important geographical location at the crossroads of ancient trade routes that mediate the cities and rural centers of the ancient kingdoms, in addition to its location on one of the slopes of Jabal al-Sayeh, which is rich in its natural landscapes, forests and springs, pointing out that tourism It flourished there with the establishment of many hotels, restaurants, markets and tourism industries, which bore fruit thanks to the cooperation with its residents and expatriates.
Salibi explained that the town of Al-Mashtaia is a center for religious tourism, as it witnesses throughout the year religious events such as monastery feasts, the cross, vows, baptisms, wreaths, fraternal camps and scouting trips, in addition to musical, theatrical and scouting groups, including the scout troupe “St. In the folk medicine clinics since the beginning of the twentieth century and the “bazaar” market for commercial promotion, not to mention the hygiene week held by a corporate committee of various popular organizations in cooperation with the townspeople in August of each year, which made it a traditional ritual for the town.
Hanan Sweid
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