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Homs, Syria
Homs
- Is the third largest city in Syria and is located 160 km north
of Damascus. It is strategically located between Damascus
and Aleppo and is not far from Hama to the north, Palmyra to the
southeast, and the coast to the west. See Maps
for locations and distances.
An industrial city in the fertile Orontes River (al-Assi)
Valley, Homs was once the ancient city of Emesa,
which held a temple to the sun god Elagabal (it's
alleged to be where high priest Heliogabalus
became emperor of Rome). Homs is now known
for its silk goods. Prime attractions of Homs are the Khalid
Ibn Al-Walid Great Mosque and the ruins of the underground
monastery and chapel of the Syrian Aramain Church.
Other attractions include the Citadel, Al
Nouri Mosque, Kaneesat Um Zummar, Kaneesat
Mar Elian the ancient souks and the cities proximity
of the formidable Medieval castle Krak Des Chevaliers
(Qalaat al-Hosn).
Homs is an ancient city dating back to the year 2300 B.C. it contains
a number of installations and castles, but earthquakes had
destroyed most of the historical landmarks. Only the remains
of one citadel built above a rocky hill south of the city with
two gates and a wall remained intact. The two gates
are: Bab Sham (Damascus) and the Bab
Palmyra.
The most important historical building in the city is the
mosque and tomb of the Arab Moslem leader Khaled Bin Al-Walid
who lived in Homs for the last seven years of his
life. This building is distinguished by its metal dome which
reflects sunshine. It is also famous for its two high
minarets and narrow galleries built with black and white stones
in a horizontal manner. Another mosque in the city Al-Nouri
Mosque, which dates back to the twelfth century.
There is also the Kaneesat Um Zummar church which
was named after a piece of cloth said to have belonged to the
Virgin Mary that was found underneath the alter
during renovations in the 1950's. Another church in the
area is Kaneesat Mar Elian church which also
had discovered beautiful wall paintings and mosaic in the
1970's during renovations. It also contains Arab and
Greek scripts dating back to the twelfth century AD and even as
far back as the sixth century.
Between Homs and Tartus, the Krak Des Chevaliers (Qalaat
al-Hosn) is the most important castle of the middle ages.
It is located 65 km west of Homs and reaches a summit of
750 meters above sea level. The castle controls a strategic passage
called the Homs gap in the Orontes Valley. The castle was
erected covers an area of 3 hectares and has 13 towers containing
a number of halls, stores, passages, stables and bridges.
Around Homs - Other places of interest around
Homs, include al-Rastan, Meshta al-Helu
(Resort Town), Mar Jourjous (Monastery
of St. George), Wadi al-Nasara (collection
of Christian villages surrounding Qalaat al-Hosn), al-Mishrefeh
and Lake Qattina. |