"Apamea , An abandoned town with glorious history" Top 5 Page for this destination Apamea by dionysias

Apamea Travel Guide: 54 reviews and 320 photos

It was just a field , and then was discovered , now it’s an important site .
All the town was collapsed and covered by earth and since then the rebuilding of the city began gradually piece by piece , the excavations from the 1930 till now , but this have only partially revealed the secrets of the city .
Well , Apamea is an archaeological city-site of western Syria it’s a fine example of the Hellenistic cities that flourished in Syria during the third century B.C .
it used to contain up to 120000 inhabitants . Originally known by the name of Pharnake , it was renamed Pella after Alexander the Great's victory at the battle of Issos in 333 B.C., in memory of his father's village in Macedonia. Several wars later, following Seleucus's ( the Macedonian commander that succeeded Alexander the great in Syria ) victory over Ipsus in the year 301, the town was renamed Apamea in 300/299 B.C. after a Persian princess married to Seleucus . Ever since, the name Apamea has survived the ravages of time throughout the centuries.
The importance of Apamea was great at the ancient times , So it was the capital of Syria Secunda while Antoich ( nowadays Antakya ) was the capital of Syria Prima , . It was also home to the headquarters of an archbishopric , since then the city was occupied by the Persians , Arabs , Crusaders , and then by the Ayyoubid Muslim dynasty .
This is a brief of the long history of this elegant ancient town !
Nowadays it’s a site for excavations and sightseeing , there is just tow modern installations , a guard room and a 3 stars restaurant all the rest is a very very old and very rich history …….

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:A great Long history with so many rocks

Last visit to Apamea: Jul 2002
Intro Updated Mar 11, 2003
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Reviews (7)

The entablatures Favorites (3)

The entablatures which were re-erected resembles the way used to avoid monotony in building the Cardo Maximus along with... more travel advice

The columns and the colonnade Favorites (3)

Apamea is a town full of columns with so many decorations and flutings All the capitals were elegant Corinthian types ,... more travel advice

The Cardo Maximus Things to Do (4)

The Cardo Maximus or the ( Central axis ) , a splendid thoroughfare which was lined with shops and linked the principal... more travel advice

The triclinium and the cathedral Things to Do (4)

The triclinium was comprised of nearly eighty rooms grouped around a vast peristyle and two interior courtyards . this... more travel advice

Comments (9)

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keeweechic Nov 10, 2003 at 7:20 PM

Quite an amazing history to this ancient place. Amazing, how those ruins withstood not only time but natural disasters. Well described and good photos.
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R-men Sep 20, 2003 at 3:02 PM

it seems Syria has got many interesting sites. nice pages, good job!
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freya_heaven Jun 15, 2003 at 9:49 AM

Great start, I'd Love to visit Syria & learn more about your country. (~_~)
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Narviking May 28, 2003 at 10:19 AM

Was one month in Syria during my last visit and didnt see this place. Hopefully next time !!
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albateh May 1, 2003 at 12:49 PM

impressive!!!
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dave_21 Mar 12, 2003 at 3:46 AM

Great reading about a fachinating country wich history should not be forgiven! Terrific photo on the beuatiful ruins! I would like to see more of your beautiful country Haiyan!
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cbeaujean Mar 12, 2003 at 3:31 AM

sharing with you the same interest about
this archeological gem,out of the beaten paths...
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crazyguitar Mar 12, 2003 at 3:26 AM

Great start!! waiting to see more of your beautiful country!! Syria is one of the best Ancient sites around the World!
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aeroarce Mar 10, 2003 at 12:35 PM

Good PIC!
you've got a great country hope to read more about it!!