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From Palmyra we headed northeast to the attractive city of Hama, which we used as a base to explore the interesting sites in Northern Syria. Principal among these sites were the Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers and the glorious, Palymra-like, ruins of Apamea.
Castles abound throughout Syria, most as a result of the Crusades--holy wars where the Christians of Europe, fearing the ever-increasing spread of Islam, looked to stem the tide and, among other things, recapture the holy city of Jerusalem. The land now known as Syria was often right in the middle of the route followed by the Crusaders and as such is the sight of many castles and other strongholds. Fortified camps were built along the route of the Crusades. This is a shot of the inner wall and moat of the Krak.
Here we pose with the stout bulk of the Krak des Chevaliers in the background.
Apamea was a delight. Founded in the 2nd century BC by one of the generals of Alexander the Great, parts of the city are still reasonably preserved.
One of the joys of Apamea, and Syria in general, is that, with the dearth of tourists, you have the site to yourselves. When we visited Apamea, other than the friends we traveled with (Greg, Jan, and Abby), no other tourists were in sight.
The most distinctive feature of Apamea is the Cardo, or main street, which runs for over a mile and is lined by rows of columns. Looking down the rows of these columns is a rather impressive sight.
After a wonderful time in Syria, it was time to head north to
Turkey. |
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Lawrence, more commonly known as "Lawrence of Arabia", called Krak des
Chevaliers the "finest castle in the world." And fine it is, as it is
wonderfully preserved and a delight to explore.
Back
to our home base of Hama. Hama is a pleasant city full of wonderfully
friendly people. Aside from its relaxing atmosphere, its principal
attraction are the "norias" which can be seen throughout the river
which runs through the town. Enormous wooden wheels that are in turn
mounted on wood, the friction between the two wood surfaces makes a distinctive
moaning sound. The norias--some roughly 60 feet high--were built hundreds
of years ago to provide irrigation for the town.