Dura Europas and Palmyra, Syria - Two of The Most Important Places to Visit
In the Syrian desert, Dura Europos sits on the banks of the Euphrates River. "Dura" - fortress in old Semitic and "Europos," the birthplace of Seleucus I, a general who founded a colony here in about 300 BC. It came under the control of Palmyra as a link in the caravan trading route. This was a very interesting site because of the remains. A hodge podge of civilizations - Greek, Palmyrene, Roman, Byzantine, Persian and Islamic. Because of this, cosmopolitan Dura Europos also had Roman Temples, a Christian chapel, synagogue and pagan temples.
An interesting fact: the only reason paintings, synagogue and Christian chapel along the western wall survived was because the Sassanians (in 256) tried to strengthen the wall for defensive purposes and piled sand against the inner face. One archaeologist described this as "the Pompeii of the desert."
Excavations have revealed 11 temples, two small sanctuaries, the synagogue, Christian chapel, a market, baths and numerous houses.
Now for Palmyra, one of antiquities most intact sites and it's only 30% excavated. There are still very few visitors here thanks to Governments warning tourists not to visit Syria . No gigantic tour bus parking lot. No worries about large groups coming through with a tour leader shrieking information over a headset and microphone. Time to walk around at your leisure, take photos, and really soak in the desert atmosphere. Possible to visit Palmyra on a day-trip from Damascus, don't. Come for at least two days. It's worth your time.
The ruins of Palmyra are impressive both by their extent and by their remarkable state of preservation. Some of the discoveries and important sights to see: the Agora; Theater; Baths; Temple of Nabo; and the great Temple of Bel, one of the finest monuments in all the Mideast.
This site sits in the center of the Syrian desert and was a major caravan stop for those on the Silk Route or others on the "short" route from the Arabia Gulf to the Mediterranean. Queen Zenobia lived in the 3rd century and became ruler of the Palmyra when her husband died. Zenobia ruled this empire of Arabs and Armaeans and went on to conquer new territories including Egypt. She was taken prisoner to Rome in 274 by Aurelian who later granted Zenobia clemency. Queen Zenobia spent the rest of her life in Tibur, Italy (modern Tivoli) and Palmyra never recovered its greatness thanks to another uprising necessitating Aurelian's return to sack the city and massacre the inhabitants.
The ruins of Palmyra still remain with a minor change. The locals sell souvenirs at Zenobia's bathes. The Bathes consisted of a long marble expanse and pieces of 3rd century saunas.
Huge funeral towers (some as high as seven stories) are scattered on the hills around Palmyra where the rich were buried. The best preserved are in the Valley of the Tombs. There was also an Arab fortress on one hill. You visit Palmyra for it's colonnaded Procession Way, Monumental Arch, the Central Colonnade, where the theatre, baths, shops and civic buildings were. The Temple of Nabu, Baths of Diocletian, Theatre, Senate
The group stayed in the modern town of Tadmor and could have spend days in the shops enjoying the renowned Arab hospitality. Don't even think of leaving without an intense shmooze about how we shouldn't listen to what the hard-line Government has to say about anything...all the people want is to live in peace...earn money to support their families...and have healthy, happy lives...yadda, yadda. It took hours to pick out one little 3 x 5' rug from Iran. Very pleasant hours I might add.
If you are looking for antiquities, they can be had. Whisper to a shopkeeper that you are interested in something "really old" and he will escort you to a room upstairs, or in one case, we sat in a dark room under the table, and then prepare for the unwrapping of small Roman artifacts. We looked but didn't buy. Not because of the "moral" implications to buying an artifact...my thinking is they've already been plundered from graves and, believe me, the shopkeepers have no intention of returning them to the Government. No, our reasoning is we're not really collectors and can't appreciate what was before us. An example was a "tear vial." A small piece of Roman glass used to catch the tears of a mourner and then buried with their loved ones.
Unimaginable to think how many millions of tourists would visit Palmyra every year if this site was situated in any other country but Syria. Everyone should see Palmyra before they die...
