Talkalakh

Talkalakh is a town in the Homs Governorate of western Syria, capital of Talkalakh District, situated just north of the Lebanese border and west of the city of Homs. The 2004 census recorded 18,412 residents. Its population is predominantly Sunni Muslim, while surrounding villages are mostly Alawite; the Syrian civil war, which began affecting the town in 2011, drove out most Sunni residents, though an estimated 12,396 had returned from abroad by 2025. Local residents rely mainly on trade and public services, and the town has six mosques and two main public squares. During the Ottoman period the town was home to the influential Danadisha clan. Talkalakh is also known as the birthplace of the Arabian horse O'Bajan, foaled there in 1880.