The Archeological Tour

Apamea is located on the right bank of the Orontes, about 55 km to the north west of Hama. It overlooks the Ghaab plain. It was built by Saluqos Nikator, the first king of the Seleucids in Syria in 300 BC. He named it after his wife, Afamia. The city flourished to such an extent that its population numbered half a million. As an Eastern crossroads, it received many distinguished visitors: Cleopatra, Septimus Severus and the Emperor Caracalla. In the Christian era, Apamea became a centre of philosophy and thought, especially of Monophostism. Most of the uncovered ruins date back to the Roman and Byzantine ages. It is distinguished for its high walls and the main thoroughfare surrounded by columns with twisted fluting. The street is about 2 km long and 87 m wide. The ruins of the Roman theatre, which have been frequently disturbed, are now a great mass of stone. Its colonnade is 145 m long. Erected in the 2nd century, it was destroyed in the 12th century by two violent earthquakes; some columns are still standing nevertheless. To the west of the city stands the Mudiq citadel which once formed a defense line along the Orontes. Fierce battles with the Crusaders attempting to conquer it took place in the 12th century, and Nur al-Din finally surrendered it in 1149. The citadel has huge towers, overlooking the Ghaab plain. It also has a khan built by the Turks in the 16th century, and transformed into an archaeological museum which houses Apamea's mosaics.

Ebla:

This is a historical city which was available from the third millennium BC. This city is the most famous for the archive of about 15,000 cuneiform tablets found there which date about 2250 BC and which were written in Sumerian script to record the Eblaite language (a previously unknown Semitic language) such as Tell Markadikh. These tablets reveal the secrets of the northern Mesopotamia civilization. Ebla city had a long turbulent history between its climax years and 7th Century AC. This city was deserted and forgotten in the 7th Century AC until recently.

The Dead Cities in Idleb area:

These are 7 deserted historical cities that date back 15 centuries ago, in the time of Byzantine Empire. These include many important sites such as Al Bara Pyramidical Tomb, and Sarjeeleh site.