34°36N 38°15E, pop (2000e) 28 000. Ancient city in Hims governorate, C Syria, a world heritage site; 208 km/129 mi NE of Damascus; financial capital of the E world, 1st2nd-c; on ancient caravan route from Persian Gulf to Mediterranean Sea; rail terminus; many examples of Hellenistic art and architecture; numerous temples, including Temple of Bêl; Monumental Arch; several tombs on hill slopes (E).
Palmyra was in the ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. It has long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert and was known as the Bride of the Desert. The Greek name for the city, Palmyra (Παλμυρα), is a translation of its original Aramaic name, Tadmor, which means 'palm tree'. Tadmor (in Arabic تدمر) is today the name of a small city next to the ruins, heavily dependent on tourism.
History
Ancient
The city was first mentioned in the archives of Mari in the 2nd millennium BC. It was another trading city in the extensive trade network that linked Mesopotamia and northern Syria. Tadmor is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Second Book of Chronicles 8.4) as a desert city that is fortified by Solomon. The city of Tamar is mentioned in the First Book of Kings (9.18), also fortified by Solomon.
Tadmor is also mentioned as built by Solomon in Flavius Josephus Antiquities of the Jews - Book VIII, along with the Greek name of Palmyra.
Tadmor is the name of Palmyra in modern Hebrew.
Greco-Roman
When the Seleucids took control of Syria in 323 BC, the city was left to itself and it became independent. The city flourished as a caravan halt in the 1st century BC. In 129, Hadrian visited the city and was so enthralled by it that he proclaimed it a free city and renamed it Palmyra Hadriana.
Beginning in 212, Palmyra's trade diminished as the Sassanids occupied the mouth of the Tigris and the Euphrates. After Valerian was captured and killed by the Sassanids, Odaenathus campaigned as far as Ctesiphon (near modern-day Baghdad) for revenge, invading the city twice. The Byzantine period only resulted in the building of a few churches and much of the city was in ruin.
Islamic
The city was taken by the Muslim Arabs under Khalid ibn Walid.
Further excavations
Archaeological teams from various countries have been working on-and-off on different parts of the site.
Gallery
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Temple of Bel |
The scene of the theatre |
The ancient Decumanus |
The Ibn Ma'an Castle at night |
Information
http://i-cias.com/e.o/palmyra.htmPhotography
A collection of pictures made in 2003 about Palmyra A Palmyra gallery dated spring 2005 World Heritage Sites in SyriaAleppo | Palmyra
Coordinates: 34°33′N 38°17′E
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