Baniyas

Baniyas بَانِيَاس
City
General view of city
Baniyas Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°10′56″N 35°56′25″E / 35.18222°N 35.94028°E / 35.18222; 35.94028
Country	Syria
Governorate	Tartous
District	Baniyas
Subdistrict	Baniyas
Elevation	25 m (82 ft)
Population  (2009 est.)
• Total	43,000
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code	43
Geocode	C5360
Climate	Csa

Baniyas (Arabic: بَانِيَاس Bāniyās) is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, northwestern Syria, located 55 km (34 mi) south of Latakia and 35 km (22 mi) north of Tartous.

It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood. North of the city is an oil refinery, one of the largest in Syria, and a power station. The oil refinery is connected with Iraq by the Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline (now defunct).

On a nearby hill stands the Crusader castle of Margat (Qalaat el-Marqab), a huge Knights Hospitaller fortress built with black basalt stone.