Ar Rastan

It occupies the site of the Hellenistic-era city of Arethusa and still contains some of its ancient ruins. It continued to exist as a relatively small, but strategic town throughout the early Islamic and Ottoman eras. Al-Rastan is situated adjacently south of the large bridge linking Homs and Hama. The total land area of the town is 350 hectares. It is the site of the al-Rastan Dam, a major dam on the Orontes River that has a retaining capacity of 225 million m3. The dam is principally used for irrigation. The city also contains one of Syria's principal marlstone quarries.

From the start of the Syrian civil war until 2018, Al-Rastan served as a major opposition stronghold and had been the site of much fighting between Syrian Arab Armed Forces and rebels of various factions.