Qasr al-Azem (قصر العظم) is the most impressive and well-known of the historic residences in Damascus (دمشق). The palace was constructed in 1750 as the residence of Assad Basha al-Azem (أسعد باشا العظم), who served as the Ottoman governor of the city from 1743 until 1757. It was built upon the foundation of an earlier palace that was constructed under the Mamluk governor Tankiz (تنكيز), …
One of the most incredible fortifications in Syria, and the whole of the Middle East, is the magnificent Aleppo Citadel (قلعة حلب). Located on a naturally formed hill at the center of the old city, the site has been in use since at least the 3rd millennium BCE. It was referenced in cuneiform tablets from Ebla (ايبلا) and Mari (ماري), and a recently excavated temple …
One of the most attractive residential buildings in Syria is Qasr al-Azem (قصر العظم) of Hama (حماة). It was constructed in 1740 as the residence of Assad Basha al-Azem (أسعد باشا العظم), an Ottoman governor of the city. Only three years later he was promoted to governor of Damascus (دمشق), where he built the more well-known palace of the same name. While the building was …
Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi (قصر الحير الشرقي) is remote desert palace complex dating to the late Umayyad period. Construction began in 728 under Hisham (هشام), the tenth Umayyad caliph. While it was once believed that the site had Roman or Byzantine origins, it appears more likely that stonework was transported from other locations by the Umayyads, or that they employed Christian craftsmen. The site may have …
The city of al-Raqqa (الرقة) is one of Syria’s smaller provincial capitals and is seldom visited by tourists, but nonetheless has a rich history and some interesting archaeological sites. Most impressive of these is the Abbasid-era mosque, although only the minaret and some arches survive. Nearby are the remains of a small Abbasid-era palace. The old city was once fully enclosed by fortification walls, some of …
Harqaleh (هرقلة) is a little known site from the Abbasid period located about seven kilometers west of al-Raqqa (الرقة). Built by Harun al-Rashid to commemorate his victory over Byzantine forces, there is debate as to whether the site served as a palace or as a monument. The site is roughly one hundred meters by one hundred meters square, with towers at each of the four corners. …
Qasr Ibn Wardan (قصر ابن وردان) is a fascinating Byzantine church and palace complex located at the edge of the desert to the northeast of Hama (حماة). Built during the reign of Justinian and completed in 564, the site supplemented other Byzantine fortifications such as Halabiyeh (حلبية) and al-Rasafeh (الرصافة) in defense of the Persians to the east. The approach here was far more elegant in design, with …
