My second stop after Homs was Hama. The city is 200 km to the north of Damascus and 60 km to the east of Banyas.It is a very ancient city, which has flourished continually since ancient times, and has known the successive civilisations of the Fertile Crescent.
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Hama has a long heroic history in defending Syria against foreign invasions. One of the outstanding battles was that of Qarqar, where the Assyrian army was defeated in 853 B.C. Unfortunately, few of its ancient relics have been preserved. However, Hama is well known for its enormous water wheels ('noriahs') on the Orontes, which are as old as Hama itself. It is a pity though, the water wheels which has made enormous contributions to the city and its citizens has been left neglected and not properly maintained. Its historical contributions had even attracted the state of Malacca to built a replica of the water wheel as a tourist attraction in the state.
One of Hama's ancient buildings is al-Jami' al-Kabir (the Great Mosque), which dates back to the 14th century and includes two tombs of two emirs who ruled Hama in the 13th century. Another mosque is that of Abu al-Fida, named after Hama's Sultan, who was a famous Arab geographer and historian. The city is often linked with his name. A 3rd ancient mosque is the al-Nuri mosque, which was built in the days of Nureddin al-Zanki in 1129; on its wall appear inscriptions in both Arabic and Greek. Hama is particularly famous for its traditional industries, especially textiles and cotton cloth.
One of Hama's ancient buildings is al-Jami' al-Kabir (the Great Mosque), which dates back to the 14th century and includes two tombs of two emirs who ruled Hama in the 13th century. Another mosque is that of Abu al-Fida, named after Hama's Sultan, who was a famous Arab geographer and historian. The city is often linked with his name. A 3rd ancient mosque is the al-Nuri mosque, which was built in the days of Nureddin al-Zanki in 1129; on its wall appear inscriptions in both Arabic and Greek. Hama is particularly famous for its traditional industries, especially textiles and cotton cloth.
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