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Arwad Island

Satellite image of Arwad Satellite image of Arwad

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Names
Transliterated Name Language Name
Arwad Arabic أرواد‎
Ruad Island
Árados Greek Ἄραδος
Aradus Latin
Arwad Phoenician
Antioch Under the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus I renamed it Antioch after himself or the father of Seleucus the Great
Irtu Annals of Thutmose III at the Karnak Temple
Arvad
Arpad
Arphad
Introduction
Introduction

Arwad Island is about 100 km. from Beirut.

Aerial Views
Aerial Views

  • Closeup Satellite image
    Satellite image of Arwad

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    Wikipedia - NASA - Public Domain
    of Arwad Island from Wikipedia
  • Wide view Satellite image
    A satellite image of Arwad, with Tartus on the Syrian coast to the east

    Wikipedia - NASA
    with Tartus on the Syrian coast to the east from Wikipedia
  • Arwad Island in Google Earth
    Arwad Island in Google Earth

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Chronology
Beirut Conversion Quake Tsunami (?) - 347/348/349 CE

Several catalogs ( e.g. Ambraseys, 1962, Antonopoulos, 1979, Antonopoulos, 1980a, and Sbeinati et. al., 2005) consider the possibility that a tsunami was associated with The Beirut Conversion Quake of 347/348/349 CE. While this is valid speculation, none of the historical sources mention a tsunami. The way a tsunami entered these catalogs is likely via Sieberg (1932b) who mentioned damage on the Island of Arwad due to this earthquake.

348 Earthquake on the Syrian Coast where Beirut and Arwad Island suffered.

348. Zers Arendes Beben an der syrischen kaste, wobei vor allein Berytus und Aradus (Ruad) litten
The Island of Arwad is approximately 100 km. from Beirut. In the larger 551 CE Beirut Quake, Sieberg (1932b) mentions widespread destruction in Beirut and that the earthquake was only felt in the Island of Arwad. He does not say it suffered. Based on this, if Sieberg (1932b) mentions suffering on the Island of Arwad due to the Beirut Conversion Quake, the suffering would likely be due to a tsunami rather than seismic shaking. Unfortunately, Sieberg (1932b) did not list his sources. As neither of the sources (Theophanes and Cedrenus) mention damage on the Island of Arwad, this tsunami report, though possible, is likely a false one. Salamon et. al. (2011) concurred that this tsunami report was probably false.

Notes and Further Reading
References

Articles and Books

Ambraseys, N. N. (1962). "Data for the investigation of the seismic sea-waves in the Eastern Mediterranean." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 52(4): 895-913.)

ANTONOPOULOS, J. 1979, "Catalogue of Tsunamis in the Eastern Mediterranean from Antiquity to Present Times." Annals of Geophysics 32(1): 113-130.

Antonopoulos (1980a) DATA FROM INVESTIGATION ON SEISMIC SEA-WAVES EVENTS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN FROM THE BIRTH OF CHRIST TO 500 A.D. Annals of Geophysics 33(1)

Salamon, A., Rockwell, T., Guidoboni, E., and Comastri, A. (2011) A critical evaluation of tsunami records reported for the Levant Coast from the second millennium BCE to the present January 2011 Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 58(3):327-354

Sbeinati, M. R., R. Darawcheh, and M. Monty (2005). The historical earth-quakes of Syria: An analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D.,. Ann. Geophys. 48(3): 347-435.

Sieberg, A. (1932b). Untersuchungen uber erdbeben und bruchschollenbau im ostlichen Mittelmeergebiet, ergebnisse einer erdbebenkundlichen Orientreise, unternommen im fruhjahr 1928 mit mitteln der Notgemeinschaft der deutschen wissenschaft, G. Fischer.