Al-Rastan

Ar-Rastan الرستن
Ar-Rastan (on hill in background) and waterwheel (forefront) separated by Orontes River, 1930s
Ar-Rastan Location in Syria
Coordinates: 34°55′N 36°44′E / 34.917°N 36.733°E / 34.917; 36.733
Country	Syria
Governorate	Homs
District	Al-Rastan
Subdistrict	Al-Rastan
Elevation	430 m (1,410 ft)
Population (2004)
• Total	39,834
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Ar-Rastan (Arabic: الرستن‎‎) is the third largest city in the Homs Governorate, located 25 kilometers (16 mi) north of its administrative capital Homs and 22 kilometers (14 mi) from Hama. Nearby localities include Talbiseh and al-Ghantu to the south, al-Zaafaraniyah and al-Mashrafah to the southeast, Murayj al-Durr to the northeast, Tumin to the north, Deir al-Fardis to the northwest and Kafr Nan and the Houla village cluster to the west. Ar-Rastan had a population of nearly 40,000 in 2004.

It occupies the site of the Roman-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. Ar-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.

Since the start of the 2011–12 Syrian uprising, ar-Rastan has served as a major opposition stronghold and has been the site of heavy clashes between Syrian Government Forces and rebels from the Free Syrian Army.

Ar-Rastan was built on the site of ancient Arethusa. According to Roman historian Appian, Arethusa was established by Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid dynasty in the 3rd century BCE. Most sources agree Seleucus named it after the city of Arethusa in Greek Macedonia, but others claim it was named after a spring in Sicily with the same name. Arethusa in native Syriac was called Arastan, also mentioned in the Christian First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. To a lesser extent, the name "Arastan" continued to be used by the indigenous inhabitants, alongside "Arethusa".