Al-Bayda, Tartus Governorate
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al-Bayda البيضاء al-Beida |
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|---|---|
| Village | |
 al-Bayda
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| Coordinates: 35°7′30″N 35°56′55″E / 35.12500°N 35.94861°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | Tartus |
| District | Baniyas |
| Subdistrict | Baniyas |
| Elevation | 149 m (488 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 5,783 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Al-Bayda (Arabic: البيضاء, also spelled al-Beida) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Tartus Governorate, located north of Tartus. Nearby localities include Baniyas to the north, Kharibah to the east and Maten al-Sahel to the south. It is situated just east of the Mediterranean coast. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Bayda had a population of 5,783 in the 2004 census, making it the second largest locality in the Baniyas nahiyah ("subdistrict") after the city of Baniyas. The inhabitants al-Bayda are predominantly Sunni Muslims, and together with Baniyas, Basatin al-Assad and Marqab, the villages form a Sunni-inhabited area amid the largely Alawite-inhabited heartland.
During the Syrian civil war, al-Bayda fell under the control of anti-Assad elements. In May 2013 the village was subjected to government bombardment that reportedly left over 100 dead, including the town's mayor and his family. According to main opposition group, a massacre took place on 2 May, committed by government and pro-government forces. "Syrian troops, backed by gunmen from nearby Alawite villages, swept into the village, torched homes and used knives, guns and blunt objects to kill people in the streets."
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