Tartous Art Festival are held in the presence of distinguished Syrian and Arab artists, in addition to a tourist festival called Antaradus. Assi Rahbani and Mansour Rahbani were visiting Tartous very often because of their admiration for the place in which they stayed and the good memories they carried from the house in which they stayed in a waterfront, they immortalized that visit by composing the song Shabab Al-Hilweh in Tartous sung by Nasri Shamseddine. Among the composers whose name is associated with Tartous and Husayn al-Baher is the musician Safwan Bahlawan Ibn Arwad who has a distinguished performance in the pub and his artistic presence on the Arab art scene. The natives also include the singer Farrah Yousef, finalist of the singing competition Arab Idol and Taim Hasan, an actor known known for his dramatic roles in Syria and the Arab world. Many poets and writers lived in Tartous, including Saadallah Wannous, Muhammad Omran, Rasha Omran and Nadim Muhammad, and there are writers who hold their literary seminars and lectures in the city cultural center. Museum St. Mary's Cathedral was originally built in the 12th century as a Templar church. The cathedral was used as a mosque after the Muslim capture of the city, then as a barracks by the Ottomans. It was renovated under the French Mandate and since 1956, the building has housed the National Museum of Tartus, which exhibits antiquities recovered from Amrit and many other places in the region. In September 2021, the Directorate-General of Antiquities has begun a comprehensive renovation and fixing operations of architectural elements that were subjected to fragmentation at the National Museum of Tartus. Sports Tartus is the home city of only one sports club: Al-Sahel SC, founded in 1971. 4 types of sports are being practiced by the club including: football, basketball, table tennis and bodybuilding. The club plays in both stadiums in the city: Municipal (capacity 1,300) and Bassel Al-Assad (capacity 8,000). In 2018, Al-Sahel promoted to the Syrian Premier League for the first time in their history. In the 2020-21 season, they were relegated and have been playing in the Syrian League 1st Division ever since. The women's basketball team competes at the top level of the Syrian basketball league. Education A number of colleges affiliated to Tishreen University in Latakia, such as the College of Arts and the College of Technical Engineering, were opened as part of