Middle East - Anthony Ham [431]
After climbing up through the gate tower, the inner courtyard is watched over by two relatively intact towers; it is possible to climb the internal staircase in each tower up to the 1st floor and roof for fine views of the surrounding countryside. Other highlights include the stables, the Ayyubid Palace (1169–1260) and the sunken cistern.
To get here, take a microbus from Lattakia to the small town of Al-Haffa (S£20, 30 minutes). These leave from the minibus station near the stadium. Taxis and local cars wait at the bus stop at Al-Haffa and will take you the further 6km to the castle. They charge anywhere between S£150 to S£200 to take you there, although the minibus may take you up to the castle for the same fee. A taxi from Lattakia will charge S£1000 including waiting time.
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PALMYRA
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The rose-gold ancient ruins of Palmyra (known in Arabic as Tadmor) are one of the premier ancient sites in the Middle East, and for many travellers, the standout highlight of any visit to Syria. Rising out of the desert of central Syria, flanked by an expansive oasis, and just three hours from Damascus, Palmyra must rank high on your list of must-sees. Some travellers come on a day trip from Damascus, but sunrise and sunset are the most beautiful times here and we recommend an overnight stay as a minimum, preferably two.
Modern Palmyra is a typical tourist town along well-worn Middle Eastern trails. Expect camera shops selling memory cards, carpet shops, souvenir shops selling Crusader helmets and restaurants with faux-Bedouin decor. It’s not without its problems (see boxed text, Click here), but nor is it as challenging as some travellers will have you believe.
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HISTORY
Tadmor is mentioned in texts discovered at Mari dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. Early rulers included the Assyrians, Persians and Seleucids, for whom it served as an indispensable staging post for caravans travelling between the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia and Arabia. It was also an important link on the old Silk Route from China and India to Europe, with the city prospering greatly by levying heavy tolls on the caravans.
But it was the Romans who made Tadmor their own. As they expanded their frontiers during the 1st and early 2nd centuries AD to occupy the eastern Mediterranean shores, Tadmor became stranded between the Latin realms to the west and those of the Parthians to the east. The oasis used this situation to its advantage, taking on the role of middleman between the two clashing superpowers. The influence of Rome grew, and the city they dubbed Palmyra (City of Palms) became a tributary of the empire and a buffer against rivals to the east.
The emperor Hadrian visited in AD 129 and declared Palmyra a ‘free city’, allowing it to set and collect its own taxes. In 212, under the emperor Caracalla (himself born of a Syrian mother), Palmyra became a Roman colony. Further wealth followed and Palmyra spent lavishly, enlarging its great colonnaded avenue and building more and larger temples.
After the interlude of Zenobia (see boxed text, below), a further rebellion in 273, in which the Palmyrenes massacred a garrison of 600 Roman archers, elicited a brutal response and Aurelian’s legionaries slaughtered large numbers and put the city to the torch. Palmyra never recovered.
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QUEEN OF THE DESERT
The most picaresque character in Palmyra’s history was responsible for the city’s most glorious historical moment, and also its subsequent rapid downfall. Palmyra’s ruler, Odainat (also called Odenathus), was assassinated in 267. His second wife, Zenobia, took over in the name of their young son, Vabalathus. Rome refused to recognise this arrangement, not least because Zenobia was suspected of involvement in her husband’s death. The emperor dispatched an army to deal with the rebel queen. Zenobia met the Roman force in battle and defeated it. She then led her army against the garrison at Bosra, then the capital of the Province of Arabia,