Ar-Raqqah

Ar-Raqqah lies on the north bank of the middle Euphrates, just below where the river leaves the reservoir of the Tabqa Dam, and its history is dominated by two brilliant periods. In antiquity, the city of Nikephorion / Kallinikos was a Seleucid foundation later reinforced as a Byzantine frontier fortress. Its real peak came under the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, who at the end of the eighth century moved his summer capital here and adorned it with palaces, mosques and gardens. Remains of the horseshoe-shaped city wall, the Baghdad Gate and fragments of the Great Mosque still recall that era. In modern Syria, Ar-Raqqah served as the administrative seat of a heavily agricultural governorate, specializing in cotton and wheat irrigated from the Euphrates. During the recent war the city was declared the capital of a self-proclaimed extremist proto-state and was severely damaged in fighting.

Nearby cities

Al-Thawrah

Al-Thawrah, also known as Tabqa, is a modern city on the Euphrates, founded in the 1960s during the construction of the Tabqa Dam.

Lake Assad

Syria's largest reservoir, created by the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates, a major center for agriculture and nature.

History & landmarks

Qal'at Ja'bar

An impressive ruined castle that now sits majestically on an island in Lake Assad, surrounded by massive brick walls.

Nature

Balikh

The Balikh is a tributary of the Euphrates that joins the main river near Raqqa and was densely populated in antiquity.

Lake Assad

Lake Assad is Syria's largest reservoir, created by the construction of the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates.

More places

Al-Raqqah Wall

Large parts of the historical city wall and the massive Bab Baghdad (Baghdad Gate).

Baath Dam

A regulating dam on the Euphrates below the Tabqa Dam, used for power generation and water flow control.

Resafa

A Byzantine city wall made of fine gypsum stone in the middle of the Syrian desert.

Tabqa Dam Hydroelectric Plant

Syria's largest dam on the Euphrates, which forms Lake Assad and generates a significant portion of the country's electrical energy.

Al-Thawra Nature Reserve

An important protected area on the shores of Lake Assad, home to numerous bird species and rich flora.

Jabal al-Bishri

Jabal al-Bishri is an extensive highland in the Syrian desert, historically traversed by nomadic tribes.

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi

Two Umayyad desert castles that were originally agricultural estates and caravanserais.

Harran Plain

A vast, fertile plain in southeastern Anatolia that historically ranks among the oldest settlement areas of mankind.