Hama

Hama lies on the middle Orontes in a fertile plain of central Syria and is famous worldwide for its wooden water wheels, the norias. Some of these structures stand more than twenty meters tall and noisily lift water from the river into stone aqueducts that once irrigated the fields and quarters of the city. Several of the surviving norias date from the Mamluk period and a few are still kept in working order, making them an iconic symbol of Syria. The settlement was already inhabited in the Bronze Age and appears in the Old Testament under the name Hamath. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of an Ayyubid branch line whose most famous member, the geographer and historian Abu al-Fida, lived and was buried here. Today Hama is mainly an agricultural center for grain, cotton and fruit, and the administrative capital of the surrounding governorate.

Nearby cities

Homs

Homs is located in western Syria and serves as a central transport hub between the coast and the interior.

Al-Qusayr

Al-Qusayr is an agricultural city near Homs that has important strategic significance due to its proximity to Lebanon.

Mashta al-Helou

A popular Christian mountain resort near Tartus, known for its pleasant climate.

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Kafroun

An idyllic village in Tartus Governorate, known for its religious significance and natural beauty.

Idlib

Idlib is located in northwestern Syria in a fertile agricultural region known especially for its olive cultivation.

Qobayat

A town in the Akkar region, surrounded by green forests and mountains.

Safita

Safita is a city in the Tartus Governorate built on three hills and known for its Crusader fortress.

Hermel

A town in the northern Beqaa Valley, close to the Syrian border and the Orontes River.

History & landmarks

Masyaf Castle

A historic fortress in the coastal mountains that served as the headquarters of the legendary Order of Assassins in the 12th century.

Qasr Ibn Wardan

A 6th-century Byzantine building complex on the edge of the desert, consisting of a palace, a church, and a barracks.

Nature

Orontes

The Orontes River flows through western Syria and is famous for its historical water wheels in the city of Hama.

Lake Qattinah

Lake Qattinah is a historical lake southwest of Homs, featuring a dam that partly dates back to antiquity.

More places

Hama Norias

Huge wooden water wheels on the Orontes River, whose origins date back to the Byzantine Empire.

Orontes Valley

The Orontes Valley cuts through western Syria and has formed an essential agricultural and cultural lifeline for millennia.

Apamea

Once a thriving ancient metropolis, known for its nearly two-kilometer-long Great Colonnade.

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Abu Qubays Protected Area

A mountain reserve in the Coastal Mountains, encompassing old forests, waterfalls, and rich biodiversity.

Al-Ghab Plain

The Al-Ghab Plain is a fertile rift valley on the Orontes River that was drained in the mid-20th century to reclaim agricultural land.

Ghab Plain

A highly fertile agricultural region created by draining swamps along the Orontes River.

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Jabal al-Bilas

Jabal al-Bilas is an arid mountainous region in central Syria, used by nomadic tribes for grazing.

Al-Rastan Farmlands

The agricultural land around the Al-Rastan Dam, making the Orontes valley a productive zone.