Qardaha
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| Qardaha قرداحة |
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 Qardaha
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| Coordinates: 35°27′N 36°0′E / 35.45°N 36°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Latakia Governorate |
| District | Qardaha District |
| Elevation | 330 m (1,080 ft) |
Qardaha (Arabic: قرداحة / ALA-LC: Qardāḥah) is a village in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia. It is mainly an Alawite town and the traditional home of the Assad family, that has ruled Syria since 1970. During the reign of Hafez al-Assad 1970-2000 the government poured massive investments into Qardaha, Lattakia and the surrounding region. Today, this is evident already before entering Qardaha, as the broad Syrian coastal highway makes an inexplicable pass into the mountains just to reach Qardaha. Qardaha has a lot of luxurious villas.
Qardaha has so many Villages belongs to it such as A'aen al-A'aros, Debash, Kabo, Bistan al-Basha, and Bhmra. Major families in Qardaha: Al-Assad, al-Khayer, Othman, Shalish, Ismail, Jabbour, Nassif, Hatem, Suleiman, Deeb, Kina'an, Makhlouf, Aslan, Jarkas. A major statue of Hafez al-Assad is found in the town center, and a huge mausoleum containing the graves of Basil al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad is also located there. Hasan al-Khayer was also born in Qardaha.
The Aramaic meaning of Qardaha is the first village. The name of Qardaha is Phoenician and means "the place that manufactures, and sharpens the weapons".
All the villages and places in Alawite mountains named in Phoenician language. People of the Qardaha are said to be descent of Banu Kalb tribe, them and all of the Alawite mountains are called by other Syrians "The Germans" because of their looks.
It is said among the Circassian people of Syria that the town of Qardaha was actually founded by Circassian people during the time of the Mamluk warrior Sultan Qansuh al-Ghawri. Evidence for this can be seen by the large number of Circassians that live in the town and the entire Alawite Mountain region. There is even a street named Cherkess Street as well as a large family of the same name.
Qardaha in the Circassian language means "Welcome".
Coordinates: 35°27′N 36°03′E / 35.45°N 36.05°E
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