History summary about Palmyra

The ancient city of Palmyra has opened for tourists after it has been badly damaged. During its huge history, this region has been under numerous hands of different empires, tribes, countries, and cultures.

Palmyra is an ancient archaeological site located in modern-day Syria. Established during the 3rd millennium B.C. it became a leading crossroad of the Near East where history, culture, and business met.

Its history began as a settlement near an oasis in the desert. How awesome! "Date palm" is the literal translation from the original Arabic name of Tadmor. Palmyra was ruled by the Arameans first before the Arabs came.

Later on, the city prospered and became a very important trading point for many merchants who established colonies along the Silk Road and operated throughout the Roman Empire.

The Persians, the Byzantine Empire, various Arab caliphates were ruling this territory for centuries and fighting with each other for the attractive land. Palmyra has been established as a Christian city under the sway of the Byzantine Empire.

Due to the variety of cultures that have influenced Palmyra during all these centuries, its architecture combines elements of Greek, Roman, Aramean, and Arab styles, making it all the more significant to archeologists and historians.

“The authorities now have a project to repair all the damage caused to Palmyra’s Old City,” Talal Barazi quoted by Sputnik News. “This is world history and it belongs not only to Syria,” adding that UNESCO, Russia, Poland, and Italy are among the countries and institutions which have pledged to offer assistance in Syria’s efforts “to restore the artifacts and historical value of Palmyra.”

This is tons of work to do and a lot has been done already.

Palmyra is surrounded by twenty varieties of palm trees that have been reported. Two mountain ranges overlook the city: the northern Palmyrene mountain belt from the north and the southern Palmyrene mountains from the southwest.

In the south and the east Palmyra is exposed to the Syrian Desert. A small wadi (al-Qubur) crosses the area, flowing from the western hills past the city before disappearing in the eastern gardens of the oasis. South of the wadi is a spring, Efqa. Pliny the Elder described the town in the 70s AD as famous for its desert location, for the richness of its soil, and for the springs surround