Palmyra (Syria) is one of the oldest cities in the world. The first mention of this city dates back to 900 BC. Palmyra was ruled by the most famous kings of antiquity to this day. There were uprisings, the collapse of empires, intrigues, and many other significant historical processes.
The architecture of ancient times has survived to the present day and is truly unique. However, in 2015, the remains of the ancient city were destroyed by Islamic State terrorists.
Ancient times
The antiquity of the city can be estimated at least by the fact that the Bible contains a description of such a fortress as Palmyra. Syria at that time was not a single state. On its territory ruled various kings and tribes. The famous biblical character, King Solomon, decided to found Tadmor (former name) as a fortress to protect against Aramaean raids. The place was chosen at the intersection of trade routes. But soon after the construction, the city was almost completely destroyed as a result of the campaign of Nuavuhodnosnora. But the extremely favorable location prompted the new owners to rebuild the settlement. Since then, wealthy merchants and nobles constantly came here. In a short time, from a village in the desert of Palmyra turned into a kingdom.
Rumors of countless riches have spread even in Europe. The Roman emperor himself learned that the incredibly beautiful city of Palmyra exists near the Euphrates Valley. Syria at that time was partially controlled by the Parthians who waged war with Rome. Therefore, the imperial troops decided to take the city, but these attempts did not lead to success. A few years later, the commander from the Antonin dynasty still took Tadmore. Since then, the city and its surroundings have become a Roman colony. But the local governors were given extended rights that were not on other conquered lands.
Greatest power
The struggle for these territories was much wider than control over the province of Palmyra. Syria is one third of the desert, which is impossible to inhabit. Therefore, control over this area depended on taking several bastion nodes. Who controlled the region between the sea and the Euphrates Valley, he had influence over the entire desert. Since the city was very far from the central Roman lands, there were often rebellions against the capital. One way or another, Palmyra has always remained a relatively independent province, following the example of the Greek city-policies. The peak of power came during the reign of Queen Zenobia. Merchants from all over the Middle East traveled to Tamdor. Luxurious temples and palaces were built. Therefore, Zenobia decided to completely get rid of Roman oppression. However, Aurelian, the Roman emperor, reacted quickly enough and went with the army to distant frontiers. As a result, the Romans conquered Palmyra, and the queen was captured. Since then, the decline of one of the most beautiful cities of antiquity begins.
Sunset
After the overthrow of Zenobia, the city still remained under the scrutiny of the Roman emperors. Some of them tried to rebuild and restore the original appearance of Palmyra. However, their attempts were unsuccessful. As a result, in the 8th century AD, an Arab raid took place, as a result of which Palmyra was again devastated.
After that, only a small settlement remained of the mighty province. Nevertheless, most of the monuments have survived, surviving to our days and until 2015 were under the protection of "UNESCO". Syria - Palmyra, whose
triumphal arch is known throughout the world, especially - was a real Mecca for tourists. However, everything has changed.
Palmyra: a city in Syria today
Since 2012, a bloody civil war has been going on in Syria. By 2016, it is still not over and more and more parties are taking part in it. In the spring of 2015, Palmyra became the scene of hostilities. Like thousands of years ago, this province is a nodal point for desert control. There is a strategically important route to Deir ez-Zor. She was controlled by the government forces of Bashar al-Assad. In the winter, militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Islamic Republic entered the province of Tamdor. For several months they tried to take the city, but to no avail.
Destruction
However, at the end of spring, when the main forces of the government troops were engaged in other directions, the militants launched a massive attack on Palmyra. After a week of fierce fighting, ISIS still managed to take the city and its surroundings. After this a series of brutal reprisals followed. Militants began to destroy the most ancient monuments of architecture. In addition, the terrorists allowed the so-called "black archaeologists" to work in the city. They resell the finds on the black market for a lot of money. Those monuments that are not transportable are destroyed.
Satellite images confirm that at the moment almost all buildings on the site where the city of Palmyra was previously wiped off the face of the earth. Syria is still in a state of armed conflict, so it is not known whether this terrible war will leave any monuments for our descendants.