"Splendid Palmyra!" Palmyra by siaki68

The glorious past….

Palmyra (Tadmor for the Arabs) was first mentioned in the 2nd millennium BC in the archives of Mari. Located on the old Silk Road in the middle of the Syrian Desert, it was an important post for caravans travelling between Mediterranean and Arabia and it prospered through the heavy tolls that caravans had to pay. The city continued to flourish; in 212AD, when Palmyra became a Roman colony, its citizens gained equal rights with the Romans and were excluded from paying imperial taxes. As a result of this wealth, more avenues, buildings and temples were erected. However, the most glorious days of Palmyra started in 267, with the famous queen Zenobia. As a Cleopatra’s descendant, she was equal to her in ambition and strength. She challenged the Romans domination and she fought against them. Soon, she took over the whole Syria, Palestine and part of Egypt. In 271-272, the Roman emperor Aurelian managed to take back the lost territories and finally, Palmyra itself. Zenobia was captured and led to Rome, where she died few years later. After that Palmyra started to decline and soon was buried under the desert’s sand. In 1678, two Englishmen living in Aleppo took a five days journey to the deserted city. A short scale’s excavations started in 1751 and continue to this day.

The pathetic present…

“In a country of such a great hospitality, Palmyra is an embarrassment”, writes a fellow traveller at his blog, and this is simply the truth. Except of the marvellous ancient city, Palmyra has nothing to offer to the visitor. Accommodation (with only few exceptions) and food is bad and expensive; everybody runs after your dollar and they will not hesitate to cheat you by any means…