Shaizar (Arabic: شيزر‎; also called Saijar or Larissa in Syria) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include, Mhardeh, Tremseh, Kafr Hud, Khunayzir and Halfaya. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Shaizar had a population of 5,953 in the 2004 census. During the Crusades, the town was an fortress in Syria, ruled by the Banu Munqidh tribe.