ARTA (Narda, i.e. iv "Ap&a, or Zarta, i,e. eis "Apra)  , a town of Greece, in the province of Arta, S9 M . N.N.W. of Mesolonghi . Pop. about 7000 . It is built on the site of the ancient Ambracia (q.v.), its present designation being derived from a corruption of the name of the river Arachthus (Arta) on which it stands . This enters the Gulf of Arta some distance south of the town . The river forms the frontier between Greece and Turkey, and is crossed by a picturesque bridge, which is neutral ground . There are a few remains of old cyclopean walls . The town contains also a Byzantine castle, built on the lofty site of the ancient citadel; a palace belonging to the Greek metropolitan; a number of mosques, synagogues and churches, the most remarkable being the church of the Virgin of Consolation, founded in 819 . The streets of the town were widened and improved in 1869 . Manufacture of woollens, cottons, Russia leather and embroidery is carried on, and there is trade in cattle, wine, tobacco, hemp, hides and grain . Much of the neighbouring plain is very fertile, and the town is surrounded with gardens and orchards, in which orange, lemon and citron come to great perfection . In 1083 Arta was taken by Bohemund of Tarentum; in 1449 by the Turks; in 1688 by the Venetians .

In 1797 it was held by the

French, but in the following year, 17.98, All Pasha of Iannina captured it . During the Greek War of Independence it suffered severely, and was the scene of several conflicts, in which the ultimate success was with the Turks . An insurrection in 1854 was at once repressed . It was ceded to Greece in 1881 . In the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 the Greeks gained some temporary successes at Arta during April and May .