Qalaat al-Madiq

Qalaat al-Madiq قلعة المضيق
Town
Skyline of Qalaat al-Madiq town, 2010
Qalaat al-Madiq Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°25′N 36°23′E / 35.41°N 36.39°E / 35.41; 36.39Coordinates: 35°25′N 36°23′E / 35.41°N 36.39°E / 35.41; 36.39
Country	Syria
Governorate	Hama
District	Al-Suqaylabiyah
Subdistrict	Qalaat al-Madiq
Population (2004)
• Total	12,925
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Qalaat al-Madiq (Arabic: قلعة المضيق‎‎ also spelled Kal'at al-Mudik or Qal'at al-Mudiq; also known as Afamiyya or Famiyyah) is a town and medieval fortress in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northeast of Hama. It is situated in the al-Ghab plain, on the eastern bank of the Orontes River. Nearby localities include the district center al-Suqaylabiyah to the south, Bureij and Karnaz to the southeast, Kafr Nabudah to the east, al-Huwash to the north, Huwayjah al-Sallah and Shathah to the northwest and Tuwaini and Inab to the west. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Qalaat al-Madiq had a population of 12,925 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center and second largest locality in the Qalaat al-Madiq nahiyah ("subdistrict") which consisted of 40 localities with a collective population of 85,597 in 2004. The town's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.

Qalaat al-Madiq is the site of the ancient city of Apamea, the ruins of which are located just east of the town. The modern fortress, after which the town was named, was built during Muslim rule in the 12th century. It is still inhabited by townspeople. At the present time, control over the town is being contested between Syrian government and rebel forces, as part of the ongoing Syrian civil war.

Apamea was founded by the Seleucids in the 3rd-century CE and was later conquered by the Romans who significantly built up the city. During the Byzantine-Sassanid War in the early 7th century, Apamea was entirely destroyed by the Sassanid forces of Khosrau II.Heraclius defeated the Persians and in a negotiation between him and Sassanid general Shahrvaraz, Syria reverted to Byzantine control.