Palmyra (Tadmor in
Arabic) is in the heart of Syrian Desert, and is often described as the
bride of the desert. Its magnificent remains tell of a heroic history
during the reign of Queen Zenobia.
The Oasis, as it is
sometimes called, is located near a hot-water spring called Afqa, which
make it an ideal halt for caravans moving between Iraq and Al-Sham
(present day Syria, Lebanon, Holy Land and Jordan), trading in silk from
China to the Mediterranean. This strategic location made Palmyra prosper
in a well-established kingdom from the 2nd century BC.
After Romans conquered
Syria, Palmyra flourished and became known as city of palm-trees. When
Emperor Adrian visited Palmyra, he declared it a free city; in return,
people of Palmyra gratefully called their city Adrianapalmyra.
The Severus emperors
then, who were originally Syrian, came to rule Palmyra, they treated its
people extremely well. Emperor Caracalla declared it a Roman colony,
which made it a luxurious one: new constructions, streets, arches,
temples and statues were built, making Palmyra one of the greatest
cities of Roman empire.
When conflict between
Persia and Rome reached its crisis, Rome resorted to ruler of Palmyra
for help. This ruler, Auzaina, managed to withstand Persian armies,
which led Romans to call him leader of East. But he was soon
assassinated in mysterious circumstances, and his second wife, Queen
Zenobia, a woman renowned for her exceptionally strong character, took
power.
Zenobia ruled Palmyra
in a way that astonished both West and East. She was exceptionally
intelligent and attractive. She was a gifted linguist, an eloquent
speaker of Palmyrian, Greek and Egyptian.
Zenobia had a wide
knowledge of politics, and in her court, she had many philosophers,
scholars and theologians.
Queen Zenobia was soon
fired by ambition of getting rid of Roman domination. In 268, during
reign of Emperor Aurelian, she decided to conquer all of Rome's
territories. He was then very much engaged in internal conflicts as well
as external wars. This enabled her to take over whole Syria, conquer
Egypt and send armies to Asia Minor, gaining control thereby of all land
and sea ways to Far East. She took the title of August, which was only
used by emperor of Rome, and she had money coined with her and her son's
likeness upon it, without that of Rome emperor.
However, Emperor
Aurelian took quick action in settling his internal disputes, and
started to plan his revenge on Queen Zenobia. He formed a new army for
this purpose, which proceeded through Turkey to conquer Zenobia's army
in their first defensive position in Homs. It besieged Palmyra until it
fell in 274. Queen Zenobia was defeated and taken captive to Rome,
fettered in chains of gold where she poisoned herself.
The destiny of the
great kingdom of Palmyra was no better than that of its queen; the city
fell prey to looting and destruction. Archaeologists are still working
on excavations there in order to uncover queen's palace, which was
destroyed by Romans and replaced by a military camp.
Queen Zenobia's ambitious dream is still
embodied in the magnificent remains of what she built. Palmyra ruins,
which covers an area of 6 square kilometers, requires a full day in
order to form an adequate idea of the beauty of the remaining
architecture such as Baal-Shamin Temple, Bel Temple, Arch of Triumph,
the Amphitheater, the Baths, the Straight Street, the Congress Council
and the Cemeteries
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