Address: Syria
Main attractions: Tetrapylon, Amphitheater, Great Colonnade, Castle of Fakhraddin II, Agora, Valley of the Tombs
Coordinates: 34°33"07.6"N 38°16"08.8"E
Among the yellow sands of the Syrian desert, the traveler is greeted by majestic ruins ancient city. According to the Bible, Palmyra was created by genies on the orders of King Solomon.
View of Palmyra from the castle of Fakhraddin II
Thanks to its favorable location at the intersection of caravan routes connecting East and West, Palmyra quickly grew from a small oasis in the desert into a thriving city. Slaves from Egypt, silk fabrics from China, spices from India and Arabia, pearls and carpets from Persia, jewelry from Phenicia, as well as Syrian-made goods - wine, wheat and purple-dyed wool - were sold here. The importance of Palmyra as a trading center is evidenced by an ancient customs document found by the Russian industrialist and amateur archaeologist S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev in 1882. The so-called "Palmyra Tariff" is a limestone slab weighing 15 tons, on which in Aramaic and Greek languages prices for basic goods, tax rates for import and export, procedures for using water sources in the city, and much more are recorded. Since 1901, the slab has been kept in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Tetrapylon in Palmyra
Palmyra - military base of Rome
Under the Roman emperor Trajan, Palmyra was destroyed, but Hadrian (117 - 138 AD) rebuilt it and renamed it Adrianople, retaining its status as a “free city”. Here was the Roman army with civilian Palmyra archers, and the camel cavalry, created under Trajan, formed the main military force residents of Palmyra. For their service, archers were generously rewarded with land and slaves.
Palmyra - a privileged Roman colony
Located on the border of the possessions of the warring Romans and Parthians, the Palmyrans deftly traded with both: the Roman patricians needed silk, spices and incense transported through Palmyra, and the Parthians needed Roman goods. The city served not only as a center for transit trade of the Mediterranean with India and China, but also as a kind of “buffer” in the struggle of Rome with the Parthian power, preventing the further spread of its power to the East.
View of the Great Colonnade
In 212 Palmyra, officially declared a Roman colony, received the status of “juris italici”, exempting Palmyreneans from taxes on luxury goods such as Ivory, spices, perfumes, silk. In those days, a new name was assigned to the city, which it bears to this day - “Tadmor”, which means “to be wonderful, beautiful.” In their colony, the Romans built theaters, temples, baths, and palaces. Due to the abundance of palm alleys, Palmyra was called “an emerald in the frame of the desert.”
Palmyra during the reign of Zenobia
The greatest prosperity and decline of the city is associated with the name of Queen Zenobia. Historians compare her with such energetic and powerful women as Nefertiti, Cleopatra, the Queen of Sheba, and the ruler of Babylon, Semiramis. Beautiful, intelligent and highly educated, Zenobia became the wife of the king of Palmyra, Odaenathus II, who, for his military merits, received from the Roman emperors the post of commander-in-chief in the East.
Amphitheater in Palmyra
He won a number of victories over the Persians, and historians believe he was killed by his cousin with the knowledge of Zenobia, who was thirsty for power. After his death, Zenobia, left with her little son, took the reins of power into her own hands. She took possession of Asia Minor and Egypt and, deciding to put an end to the vassal position of Palmyra, declared the city independent. Describing the queen’s character, historians unanimously recognize her courage: “Of the two men, Zenobia is the best man" Zenobia dreamed of conquering Rome, but in 272, Emperor Aurelian broke the pride of the rebellious queen by taking her prisoner. Encased in golden chains, Zenobia walked through Rome behind the emperor's chariot, surrounded by 20 elephants and 200 wild animals. Palmyra, destroyed to the ground, lost its former splendor, and after the invasion of the Arabs in 744 it turned into ruins.
Ruins of Palmyra.
The main street of Palmyra, which runs along an ancient caravan route, is decorated with monumental columns and arches. Adjacent to it is the Agora - a square for public meetings. In the center of the city stands an antique building with an elegant arch that served as the entrance to the theater. Following fashionable Roman trends, the Palmyrans staged gladiator fights in the amphitheater arena. One of the greatest structures is perfectly preserved in Palmyra Ancient Syria- Temple of Bel. It's dedicated supreme god Bel, who was revered as the Thunderer, the god of fertility, water and war, etc. Sheep, camels, bulls and goats were sacrificed to him. To this day, only the foundation and a hole in the stone, made in the shape of clover petals, have survived from the altar.
Large colonnade with the castle of Fakhraddin II in the background
Basic moments
Ruins of a rich ancient settlement for a long time were one of the most important attractions of Syria, where tourists from Europe and Asia, America and even the most remote corners of the Pacific region flocked annually, not to mention travelers from Russia and the CIS countries. Many historical artifacts are so well preserved that traveling to Palmyra felt quite comparable to traveling back in time. But in 2011, the popular tourist route was forced to close due to the outbreak of civil war. The government barely managed to evacuate some valuable monuments from the city. The rest turned out to be untransportable.
Due to intense fighting, today's Palmyra is no longer the same as it was just a few years ago. The architectural heritage has suffered enormous damage. However, I am glad that it is not irreplaceable. The Syrian Arab Republic State Agency for the Protection of Monuments has officially announced that the ancient city of Palmyra will be restored. There is a lot of work ahead, including demining the territory, which is a task of paramount importance. But no one doubts that sooner or later, when true peace is established in this Middle Eastern country, the well-known and beloved tourist route will again become accessible to millions of travelers.
Story
Inscription of Queen ZenobiaThe first mention of Palmyra dates back to the 19th century BC. Its founder is the Hurrian king Tukrisha, who ruled in northern Mesopotamia. At that time the city was called Tadmor. Under this name it is mentioned in the archives of the rulers of the city-state of Mari, which existed on the coast of the Euphrates in the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. e.
In biblical texts it is listed under a slightly different name - Fadmor. As stated in the Old Testament, the city was rebuilt in the 10th century BC after destruction by the Assyrians by none other than King Solomon himself, who ruled the Jews in 965-928 BC. The oasis city became the easternmost settlement in his domain. According to one legend, not people were involved in the construction, but... genies.
Palmyra Kingdom on a map of the Roman Empire of the 3rd centuryThe location for the future settlement, which initially served as a transit point for caravans crossing the Syrian Desert, was not chosen by chance. Subsequently, large trade routes began to run here, which already by the 1st century AD. e. allowed Palmyra to become a major economic and cultural center region. In 260, on the vast territory of the Roman Empire, the separatist Kingdom of Palmyra arose with its capital in Palmyra. This became possible thanks to the crisis that gripped the huge state. Its most famous ruler was Queen Zenobia - a woman of extraordinary beauty, educated, ambitious and very powerful. She even announced separation from Rome, but soon the troops loyal to her were defeated, and she herself was taken prisoner.
Aurelian in the image of Helios defeats the Palmyra kingdomSuch a rapid increase in wealth and influence did not go unnoticed by either ill-wishers or enemies. One of them was the Roman emperor Aurelian, who in 271 decided to conquer the city. Local defenders were unable to resist the onslaught of the Roman legionaries with anything other than their courage. Palmyra surrendered to the mercy of the winner.
Before the foreign invasion, Palmyra was a thriving oasis. The Romans plundered its wealth and stationed their garrison here. IN III-IV centuries They continued to develop the occupied areas, but the new structures they erected were of a purely defensive nature. Slowly but surely, Palmyra turned into a walled camp, occupying an area smaller than the original city itself. The population began to decline sharply. And when the Byzantines came here, a border checkpoint was equipped. After them, the area came into the possession of the Arabs in 634, who brought the “city of palm trees” to complete destruction. Sandstorms also took their toll. Over time, they brought a lot of sand here, which, layered on top, hid the ruins of Palmyra underneath.
New development of Palmyra
This is how the history of an ancient city that never prospered ended ingloriously. And who knows, maybe they would never have remembered it if not for the English merchants who opened Palmyra to Europeans in 1678. Thus, interest in ancient Tadmor flared up with renewed vigor. Later, local residents began to develop its surroundings, who built their shacks here. They did not treat the historical heritage very carefully: ancient buildings were partially destroyed and partially looted. With the collapse Ottoman Empire Following the First World War, the territory of present-day Syria came under French occupation. The new authorities demolished the squalid huts of the local residents and decided to restore and restore Palmyra.
Palmyra GardensAmong the discoverers are also the Italian traveler Pietro Della Balle, who accidentally stumbled upon the ruins of the ancient city, and the English pastor Halifax, who became interested in Palmyra writings upon his arrival in 1692. He even copied the discovered records, but was unable to decipher them himself. A little earlier, in 1678, his namesake, the major English merchant Halifax, accidentally came across the ruins of Palmyra in one of the most inaccessible places. The study, however, was postponed until better times: James Dawkins and Robert Wood began to study them closely only in 1751-1753. Actually, archaeological excavations started only at the end of the 19th century, and continued until the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. In 2008, archaeologists discovered the foundation of the largest temple in the country, the dimensions of which were 47 by 27 meters.
The outstanding Russian historian of art and antiquity, archaeologist Boris Vladimirovich Farmakovsky (1870-1928) took part in the excavations of Palmyra. In his memoirs, he noted that the majestic monuments concentrated here, although cut off from the rest of the world by sand dunes, always excited the minds of not only scientists, but also all connoisseurs of beauty, seeming like something fabulously magnificent. Our compatriot recognized that Palmyra was an outstanding cultural center of the Ancient East. Art, he noted, was one of the essential needs of the local population, who loved it and worshiped its creators.
What are the ruins of Palmyra? They lie at the foot of several hills and extend from southeast to northwest for about 3 kilometers and include the remains of structures belonging to different historical periods. In the architecture of some - for example, the late antique era - the Corinthian order prevails. A notable structure in the space occupied by the ruins is the majestic Temple of the Sun or Baal (Helios), which is 55 meters long and 29 meters wide, equipped with 16 columns in each long face and 8 in each short one. The vault of the temple, broken into cassettes, and the stucco ornamentation of the walls and friezes, made of fruits and leaves, have been preserved. Opposite the temple, when viewed from the northwest, there was an entrance gate, very similar in architecture and design to the Triumphal Arch of Constantine in Rome (we will look at them in more detail below).
To the west of Baal (Helios) the remains of other religious buildings were discovered - temples and altars, as well as colonnades, palaces and aqueducts. In a small valley behind the ruins of the city wall, apparently built during the time of Emperor Justinian, an ancient necropolis of impressive size has been preserved. It consists of numerous burial caves and family tombs in the form of towers made of large hewn stones (there are 60 such family crypts in total). On the top of one of the nearby hills stands a castle built by the Arabs.
Attractions
The most recognizable landmark of Palmyra is the Arc de Triomphe. The height of its main vault is 20 meters. It was decorated with sculptures of lion heads with open mouths and carvings made from various stones. It was this outstanding architectural monument, built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, that was depicted on the cover of the old Soviet textbook “History of the Ancient World” for grade 5.
Being a real work of art, the arch was not initially called triumphal. This name was given to it by Europeans, who were accustomed to the fact that such monumental structures were usually erected to commemorate major military victories. But in this case they were wrong. By building double gates, the Palmyra architects solved another problem: by building them at an angle, they seemed to straighten one of the main streets of the city, visually hiding its break.
About the street itself, which stretches 1.1 km from Arc de Triomphe across the city, should be mentioned separately. It is divided into three longitudinal stripes. The two narrow side ones were intended for pedestrians, and the wide middle part was for the passage of horse-drawn carriages and horsemen. The role of “dividers” on the route was performed by four rows of 17-meter columns. In total there were one and a half thousand of them, that is, in each row there were 375. The central street played the role of the main commercial thoroughfare, while behind the columns themselves there were shops, warehouses with goods and residential buildings of Palmyra.
Whatever you say, trade was both the heart and circulatory system of the ancient city: if it had stopped, life itself, which was seething and seething here, would have stopped. In this sense, Palmyra can be compared with any modern metropolis, including the capital. The role of a market and at the same time a meeting place was played by the Agora trading area, which had the shape of a rectangle and was surrounded by porticoes. There was also a tribune here that served as a kind of local media: representatives of the Senate spoke from it, divulging their decrees to the people, and speakers reporting on the latest events in the city. The developed economy is also evidenced by the find known as the “Palmyra Tariff” - a set of customs rules in the local language, which was a surzhik of Greek and Aramaic. This stele with inscriptions was found just next to the square. Now it is kept in the State Hermitage (St. Petersburg).
Another majestic structure, very well preserved among the ruins, is the Tetrapylon architectural complex, considered the most beautiful structure of the ancient settlement. It consists of four monumental bases, each with four columns, topped in turn by a flat stone platform. The height of the columns reaches 17 meters, there are sixteen of them in total and they are carved from stone - all except one, made of pink marble. The stone platforms “during life” of Palmyra were decorated with statues, but they have not survived to this day. But even without them, Tetrapylon looks very impressive, delighting not only tourists, but also specialist architects.
In the busiest quarter, somewhat away from the mentioned street of the Great Colonnades, there was a theater of the ancient Roman era, the characteristic feature of which was stepped stone benches. It adjoined the Senate building, and both buildings were surrounded by porticoes in the Ionic style, decorated with statues of not only Roman, but also local commanders, bureaucratic nobility, and outstanding artists. The theater survived due to... its abandonment. At one time it was completely filled with sand, which was cleared only in 1952. It was he who protected the structure from destructive external influences. True, the restorers, according to many experts, somewhat overdid it. In deciding to give the theater a more spectacular look, they added some details to the landscape that would have been unusual for a building of this kind from the 2nd century AD. e. were not typical.
Ancient Roman amphitheater in Palmyra
Ancient Palmyra was a multifaceted, multilingual and, as they would say now, multiconfessional city. Representatives of the most different nations the vast Roman Empire, living with each other in peace and harmony. Each ethnic group brought with them a belief in their gods, building many temples to worship them. In this sense, the city’s population was an example of religious tolerance and simply human tolerance, which are so lacking in many hot spots modern world, especially in the Middle East.
The Temple of Bel (or Bela) is rightfully considered the most majestic among the local religious buildings. It was erected in 32 AD. e. in honor of the god of the sky, identified with Jupiter, the supreme deity of the Romans. The ruins of the shrine, at the steps of which the street of the Great Colonnades rests, are well preserved. The dimensions of the main hall are impressive: 200 sq. meters. Two niches adjoin it. In the right niche was Bel himself in the form of a golden statue, above which a stone rose was installed directly on the ceiling. It has survived to this day, which cannot be said about the very statue of the main god of Ancient Mesopotamia.
The left niche has the appearance of a tent, the vault of which is decorated with an image of Jupiter surrounded by the seven planets known at that time solar system and twelve zodiac signs. In this part of the temple, which absorbed the features of both ancient and Syrian architecture, there were sculptures of Bel and two more gods of the so-called Palmyra triad - Yarikhbol and Aglibol. The ancient city also had temples dedicated to the gods Ishtar and Zeus, Aziz, Nabo and Ars, and the goddess Allat. And all these religious cults miraculously “coexisted” in one city. It was very convenient for foreign caravan drivers visiting Palmyra. Everyone found a temple of “their” deity, which they could freely enter and ask for protection.
Palmyra: today
This city, like a pearl, adorned the desert for many centuries. It knew periods of ups and downs, victories and defeats, but was subsequently destroyed, plundered and forgotten. However, his past was so magnificent that it could not disappear without a trace. Architectural monuments, discovered on the territory of ancient Palmyra, give us the opportunity to imagine what they looked like two thousand years ago settlements powerful Roman Empire. Walking along its streets, looking at arches, temples and other structures, tourists gave free rein to their imagination. The imagination depicted the rich life of the magnificent “city of palm trees” in the days of its heyday.
This was the case until 2012. Today, due to the war in Syria, the ruins of one of the outstanding centers of late antiquity can only be admired through photographs and videos. And even then they don’t reflect current state of this museum under open air. After Palmyra was captured by the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) in 2015 and annexed to its pseudo-caliphate, militants began to desecrate the sights of the ancient civilization.
The whole world watched with shudder and indignation as they, hiding behind the banner of Islam, robbed, blew up and destroyed the priceless treasury included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. First, they demolished the statue of Lion Allat, in which the king of beasts is guarding a gazelle (the composition adorned the temple of the ancient Arab goddess Allat). Then they blew up the Temple of Baalshamin. The next victim was 82-year-old Khaled al-Asaad, a famous Syrian archaeologist who was the chief custodian of Palmyra and one of the leading researchers of the ancient complex. Fanatics first captured him, and then, accusing him of studying pagan “idols” and scientific collaboration with “infidels,” they publicly beheaded him. The scientist's body was left in the main square of Palmyra.
Palmyra and the fortress of Qalaat ibn MaanThe Islamists also blew up the Temple of Bel and destroyed three burial towers in the Valley of the Tombs, which were better preserved than others (they were created during the Roman period and were intended for the families of the local nobility). In the past tense, unfortunately, we have to talk about the Arc de Triomphe, the symbol of Palmyra and all of ancient Syria. The militants also blew it up - significant for the whole world. Satellite images have confirmed the fact of these flagrant crimes against the priceless heritage of human civilization. Meanwhile, terrorists do not destroy everything. This can hardly be explained by the condescension that suddenly awakened in them. Experts have no doubt that many artifacts were transported intact to the black market and ended up in private collections, and the proceeds, considerable ones, ended up in the coffers of ISIS.
Funeral towers in the Valley of the TombsFor a long time, no one was able to resist medieval barbarism, until the Syrian army, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, launched a decisive offensive against the militants’ positions. The assault on Palmyra began on March 23, 2016, and on the same day, units loyal to President Bashar Assad liberated its historical part. On March 25, government troops cleared the historical castle of Fakhr ad-Din, the Necropolis Valley and the fortress, restaurant district and Semiramis hotel complex located in the northwestern part of the city from terrorists.
The bandits, retreating, put up fierce resistance. On March 26, Syrian troops tore down the black flag of the Islamic State from the castle and demonstratively burned it. March 27 antique city was completely cleared of cruel fanatics. Sappers immediately began clearing mines from streets and houses. On March 28 at 15:00 local time, the national flag of the Syrian Arab Republic was solemnly raised in the center of Palmyra.
Prospects for the restoration of Palmyra
According to the government agency for the protection of monuments, the restoration of Palmyra will include three stages. At the first, they will take care of the safety of unstable buildings so that they do not completely collapse, at the second, most of the monuments will be restored, and at the third, the temples of the gods Bel and Baalshamin, destroyed by Islamists, will be rebuilt. Work started in April 2016.
Maamoun Abd al-Karim, head of the Syrian Department of Museums and Antiquities, estimates that rebuilding the city will take up to five years. Optimism is inspired by the fact that about 80% of ancient structures were not seriously damaged.
The Russian side, which actively participated in the liberation of Palmyra, will also provide assistance in demining the city.
According to the order of Vladimir Putin, specialists from the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were sent here. Our country will not remain aloof from restoration work. The State Hermitage will be involved in the restoration of Palmyra's ancient monuments.
The ancient city of Palmyra is located in Syria. The grandiose buildings of Palmyra stun the minds of contemporaries and can easily compete with the buildings of European antiquity. Ancient Palmyra in Syria was so magnificent that it became common noun for many existing cities (for Russia, the northern palmyra is St. Petersburg, the southern palmyra is Odessa).
History of the city of Palmyra in Syria
Mentions of the city of Palmyra begin in the 19th century BC. Then the city was called Tadmor, and one of the villages near the ruins of the legendary city is also called today.
The advantageous geographical position allowed ancient Palmyra to the 1st century AD. become a major trade and cultural center. And the growth of wealth attracted the eyes of ill-wishers. So in 271, the Roman emperor Aurelian took Palmyra in Syria under siege. None of the local defenders could resist the Roman legionaries, and the city had to surrender.
After the sack, a Roman garrison was stationed in the city. Construction continued in the 3rd-4th centuries, but it was of a defensive nature. Diocletian's new camp was surrounded by walls, which, by the way, occupied a smaller area than the city itself. The population of Palmyra fell sharply. After the arrival of the Byzantines, a border checkpoint was established here, and already under the Arabs the city fell completely into disrepair and was buried under a layer of sand. Later, merchants, travelers and even researchers periodically appeared here, but full-fledged excavations began only in the 1920s.
Colonnade The city of Palmyra in Syria. Description
The city itself had an elliptical shape with a length of about two kilometers and a width of half that. The main monuments of the city of Palmyra, surrounded by walls, are well preserved. Even before the arrival of the Romans, two centers had formed in the city - cult and trade. Later, the road connecting them was linked by the Great Colonnade, which is the main attraction of ancient Palmyra. The kilometer-long street is 11 meters wide and is decorated on both sides with porticoes with two rows of columns. Currently, these ten-meter structures are quite damaged as a result of long-term sand work.
Triumphal Arch As you move along the street there are arched branches to side streets. In the central part of the road there is a triumphal arch, a dilapidated but no less impressive structure. At the end the street leads to the sanctuary of Bel.
The Temple of Bel, built in 32 AD, was dedicated to the supreme local deity and was the main temple of the city. The largest structure in the old days contained a courtyard, pools, an altar and the temple building itself. IN architectural plan it combined the influence of Roman and Oriental architecture.
Temple of Bel The Temple of Baalshamin, dedicated to the god of heaven revered throughout Syria, is the second building of Palmyra. The typically Roman structure was completed in 131 AD. Both of these temples have been preserved almost completely and provide an opportunity to appreciate the skill of the builders of Palmyra. But the list of buildings does not end there.
The Temple of Nabo is located near the triumphal arch. Opposite it are the ruins of Roman baths. A part of the water supply system leading to the thermal baths from nearby water sources also remains. The theater and the Senate are located nearby. An agora was built next to the Senate - a square for trading or notifying the people.
Temple of Baalshamin Near the agora, the “Palmyra Tariff” was found - a massive slab 5 meters long containing decisions of the Senate on tariffs and taxes. Currently this slab is in the Hermitage of St. Petersburg.
Hills and towers near Palmyra As mentioned above, the later buildings include Diocletian’s camp. Now here in the central square there are the ruins of the Temple of Banners, where the battle banners of the Romans used to be located. Behind Diocletian's camp there are walls, and then there are hills. On one of the hills is the Qalaat Ibn Maan fortress, built here by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. Here on the slopes there is a necropolis, represented by destroyed towers. Some of them were erected on hypogea - underground burial grounds.
Theater in Palmyra Palmyra. Probably everyone has heard this name. But few people know what it means and where it came from.
(originally " Tadmor") is a city on the territory of modern Syria, one of the most developed centers of the ancient world, the capital of the Palmyra kingdom.
The history of Palmyra is quite short, the city did not exist for even a thousand years, but in its lifetime it has seen everything: rise and fall, war and destruction, betrayal and intrigue...
Around 800 - 600 BC. On the site of the future city, trade caravans began to constantly stop, going through the harsh Syrian desert to Damascus or to the coast of the Euphrates River. The travelers’ choice of this particular place was influenced by a small underground spring drinking water. In just a couple of centuries, the area around the water source grew to small town. Attracted by the constant flow of caravans, artisans, traders, rich people, guides, doctors and even fugitive slaves came here. For the trade caravans themselves Tadmor ceased to be just a transit point, now it was the end point of the journey and the main market for the sale of goods. To those traders who still made their way further through the desert, Tadmor offered shelter, food, water, drink and everything else one could want. In a word, the city was doomed to success, if not for one big but...
Already at the very beginning of our era, Palmyra became a very serious player in the political arena of the ancient world, which haunted Rome. What added fuel to the fire was the fact that Palmyra was located between two warring powers: the Roman Empire and the Parthian Kingdom, and, understandably, the Romans were afraid that the Palmyraans and Parthians would unite.
The first attempt by the Romans to capture Palmyra was made in 41 AD, but it was unsuccessful. However, the city was soon captured and destroyed by the Romans. Fortunately, Tadmor needed very little time to recover. This marked the beginning of the end of the great capital Palmyra kingdom. The status of Palmyra has been constantly changing for more than two centuries, sometimes it was a colony of Rome, sometimes it was an almost independent autonomy...
During the period from 220 to 270, Palmyra began to gain power again and slowly weaken the influence of the Roman Empire in its lands. The city became one of the main cultural, scientific and religious centers in the Middle East. At this time, many complex and beautiful pieces of architecture were built: temples, palaces, squares, forums, gardens...
In 267, one of the most important events in the history of the Palmyra kingdom took place - the queen came to power Zenobia. It is believed that she ascended the throne quite in a dirty way, walking "over the heads". But this did not stop Zenobia from leading Palmyra to a level of development unprecedented in the village.
The queen managed to gather a powerful army and get out of the control of Rome for the first time in the first months of her reign; moreover, soon all the lands of Syria, the northern lands up to the Bosporus and Dardanelles, Palestine and Egypt came under the rule of the Palmyra kingdom. Zenobia made plans to capture Rome, but they were not destined to come true...
The Roman Emperor Aurelian declared war on Palmyra in 273. A large Roman army not only captured the city, it almost completely destroyed it. Zenobia herself was captured and subjected to public humiliation in the center of Rome.
After these events, Palmyra lost all its greatness, the city slowly but surely faded into oblivion. Having been captured and destroyed two more times by the Arabs and then by the Turks, only a small village remained of Tadmor, the former greatness of which was only reminiscent of destroyed temples, squares, columns and other structures.
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Palmyra.
Its beauty is quiet, natural, the city seems to continue the surrounding nature.
From the yellow sand of a valley framed by purple hills,
Columns with capitals rise up - curly, like the crowns of palm trees.
Many people say about such places: “What is there to see there? A pile of stones..." And yet, when I find myself in such historical places, I feel like a grain of sand in the ocean of time. Something comes from these remains of past civilizations! On the one hand, some kind of power and incomprehensible power! On the other hand, there is such fragility that at times one fears for our civilization. Let's return to Syria. Why come back?
Palmyra (Palmyra, also known as Tadmor) was a city of great importance in ancient times, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. For a long time, Palmyra was the most important stopping place for caravans crossing the Syrian Desert, and was often called the “Bride of the Desert.” The earliest documentary evidence of the city is found on Babylonian tablets found at Mari. In them it is mentioned under the Semitic name Tadmor, which means “repelling city” in Amorite or “rebellious city” in Aramaic. Nowadays there is a settlement called Tadmor near the ruins of Palmyra. The people of Palmyra erected huge monuments with such ritual art as limestone slabs with busts of the dead.
Leaves and bunches of grapes, camels, and eagles are carved on the golden, sun-warmed walls. To this day, Palmyra has remained unreconstructed; later layers do not obscure it.
There are many amazing paradoxes in history: Pompeii, for example, was preserved by volcanic lava, and Palmyra- human oblivion. She was abandoned by people and forgotten.
And once upon a time it all began with Efka - an underground spring with lukewarm water that smells of sulfur. Desperate travelers, wanderers, and merchants made a halt here, watered tired camels, horses and donkeys, and pitched tents for the night. Over time, a kind of transshipment point grew here - a lively crossroads of purchase and sale. Then it turned into a city of customs houses, inns and taverns. The city was home to money changers, merchants, peddlers, farriers, tramps, warriors, priests of various religions, doctors, runaway slaves, craftsmen of all professions.
Slaves and female slaves from Egypt and Asia Minor were sold here. Wool dyed purple was highly prized; merchants, praising their goods, claimed that compared to Palmyra, other purple fabrics looked faded, as if they had been sprinkled with ashes. Spices and aromatic substances were brought from Arabia and India. There was a constant demand for wine, salt, clothing, harness, and shoes.
Under the arches of the Arc de Triomphe, transactions were made, there was a multilingual roar, but the Europeans called it Triumphal. In their ideas, arches and gates are erected to glorify great military victories and in honor of great commanders. But the Palmyra architects solved a different problem: the double gates of the arch were placed at an angle and, as it were, concealed the bend in the street and straightened it.
The second important crossroads of the city, the Tetrapylon, has survived to this day. It is built from granite monoliths on four huge pedestals. Here, too, trade was in full swing; the stone ceilings of the shops have been preserved to this day.
There were many temples in the city, they were built cheerfully and conscientiously.
The Palmyra were a multilingual people, wanderers of the desert, they did not want to obey one god. In their religious rituals, they most often commemorated Bel, the god of the sky; one of the most interesting temples in the Middle East (the prototype of Baalbek) is dedicated to him. The temple stood out among all the buildings in the city and had a central hall with an area of 200 square meters. It was then that the fame of the beauty and perfection of Palmyra spread throughout the Ancient East.
There were three entrances to the temple, decorated with gilded panels. Nowadays they are replaced by plank gates through which tourists enter the sanctuary. The broken slab is crowned with dragon teeth, giving the sanctuary a formidable appearance. A special entrance has been preserved, which was made for camels, bulls and goats doomed to slaughter, as well as a drain for blood - the god Bel demanded sacrifices.
A temple was built in Palmyra in honor of the god Nabo, the son of Marduk, ruler of the Babylonian sky. Nabo was in charge of the destinies of mortals and was a messenger to the gods of the multi-tribal Palmyra pantheon. A native of Mesopotamia, he got along with the Phoenician Baalshamin, the Arab Allat and the Olympian Zeus.
There is only one foundation left from the Nabo temple, only doors from the Allat temple, but the temple of Baalshamin (the Phoenician god of thunder and fertility) still stands today.
And the earthly affairs of Palmyra were in charge of the leaders, priests, and rich merchants who sat in the Senate. Their decisions were approved by a governor appointed from Rome. Emperor Hadrian, who visited Palmyra, gave the city some independence - he recalled the governor, lowered taxes, and transferred power to the local leader.
Years passed, decades flew by, and gradually Palmyra turned into one of the most prosperous cities in the Middle East. Just like in Rome, gladiator fights were held here, young men fought with wild animals. The dandies from the upper strata of society dressed according to the latest Roman fashion, or even ahead of it.
Children were given Roman names, often combined with Palmyra names.
The ancient Palmyrans loved to erect monuments to each other. Almost all the columns of the Great Colonnade, temples and public buildings They have stone shelves in the middle, on which stood sculptural images of noble and respected people. At one time, the columns of Agara (the Palmyra forum, surrounded by porticoes and lined with busts) held about 200 such images.
But little by little the Palmyra leaders stopped listening to the Senate and began to pursue their own policies. The ruler of Palmyra, Odaenathus, defeated the troops of the Persian king himself, but he was well aware that any attempt to rise would cause fear and embitterment in Rome. But regardless of his will, both Palmyra and he himself gained increasing influence in the Middle East.
Then Rome resorted (as quite often happens) to simple means- physical elimination of a person. The Roman authorities of the country of Suri in 267 (or 266) invited Odaenathus to discuss current affairs in Emessa ( modern city Homs). And there, during a meeting, he, along with his eldest son Herodian, fell at the hands of his nephew Meon.
According to others historical information, his wife Zenobia, who was Herodian’s stepmother, took part in the murder of Odaenathus. She allegedly wanted to eliminate both of them in order to clear the way for her young son Vaballat to power. In fact, the energetic widow ruled independently. Her name is associated with the great glory of Palmyra and the expansion of the borders of the state. She endured the hardships of military campaigns no worse than any of her soldiers.
In the local language, the name Zenobia sounded like Bat-Zobby. Translated into Russian, this means the daughter of a merchant, merchant. She was a very beautiful woman, this can be seen even on the coins that preserved her image. “Matte, dark skin and black eyes of amazing beauty, a lively gaze with a divine sparkle. She dressed in luxurious outfits and knew how to wear military armor and weapons.”
According to the testimony of ancient chroniclers, Zenobia was an educated woman, valued scientists, and had a favorable attitude towards philosophers and sages.
The Roman Emperor Gallienus hoped that the second son of Odaenathus would not be able to rule Palmyra due to his youth. However, he did not take into account that the widow, the beautiful Zenobia, the smartest and most educated woman, was ready to engage in government activities. Her teacher, the famous Syrian philosopher Cassius Longinus of Emessa, advised her to enthronement Vaballata and become his regent. She waited with great caution for the hour of expulsion of the Roman legions from the Middle East in order to forever establish the power of her dynasty in the kingdom that she would create.
For the time being, Zenobia carefully hid her intentions in the hope that her son would be allowed to inherit his father's throne. But Rome was afraid of strengthening the outskirts and retained only the title of vassal king for the ruler of Palmyra. And then Zenobia declared war on mighty Rome.
The Romans were convinced that Palmyra's troops would refuse to go into battle under the command of a woman. And they greatly miscalculated. The Palmyra chiefs Zabbay and Zabda swore allegiance to Zenobia. The army that came over to her side soon captured Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and in the north reached the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.
Zenobia's military victories alarmed Rome. The Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Aurelian decided to oppose her army. After the defeat at Homs, Zenobia hoped to sit out in Palmyra, but she was unable to withstand the long siege. All that remained was to take out all the wealth of the city and retreat beyond the Euphrates - and there the width of the river and the accuracy of the famous Palmyra archers would save them. But Aurelian’s cavalry followed on his heels, and near the river Zenobia was captured. Palmyra has fallen.
This was seventeen centuries ago. The further fate of Zenobia is mysterious and gives rise to many guesses and assumptions: as if the willful queen was killed, as if she was led through Rome in gold chains, as if she was married to a Roman senator and lived until old age.
Having taken Palmyra, Roman troops knocked down the statue of Zenobia, but did not touch the city. Under Emperor Diocletian, construction even resumed here: Zenobia's residence was turned into a Roman military camp, the barracks were expanded, the water supply was improved, and a Christian basilica was erected.
1900
Several times the Palmyrans rebelled for independence, but unsuccessfully.
Gradually, the city nobility left the city, the merchants, deprived of connections with the East, left, and after them, caravan drivers, officials, and the most skilled artisans remained idle. AND Palmyra began to wither and turned into an ordinary border post, a place of exile.
The Arabs took it without a fight; the townspeople could not even resist. Yes, they no longer lived in the city, but huddled outside the walls of the sanctuary of Bel, and built there many dark and cramped adobe huts. After 2-3 generations, no one remembered the names of the gods, the names of temples, or the purpose of public buildings.
Then on long years Turks came, who themselves had no idea about the culture of the peoples under their control and did not allow others to study it. Excavations were prohibited throughout the Ottoman Empire. No one cared about the past, about the brilliant history of the now dying city. The dust of oblivion hid Palmyra from the living memory of mankind. Palmyra had to be rediscovered.
Honor of opening Palmyra history attributes it to the Italian Pietro della Balle. Travelers in the 17th century traveled to Palmyra for a long time, with great difficulty, but when they returned to Europe, they simply were not believed. A city in the Syrian desert? Can this really happen? But 100 years later, the artist Wood brought drawings made in Palmyra to England. With the publication of these engravings, the fashion for Palmyra began, and detailed descriptions ancient city, travel essays.
The most interesting discovery of that time was made by our compatriot, St. Petersburg resident S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev. He discovered and published a Greek-Aramaic inscription detailing customs regulations (the so-called "Palmyra Tariff"). Today this document is kept in the Hermitage. In ancient times, local residents called (however, they still call) Palmyra “Tadmor”. Translated, this word means “to be wonderful, beautiful.”
In the 20th century people became seriously interested in it. Russia's interest in Palmyra gradually but surely grew. The Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople equipped an expedition, the researchers took many photographs, drawings, diagrams, plans, topographic maps cities. Based on these materials, Professor F. Uspensky later published a detailed work.
The colonnades of the legendary Palmyra rising in the desert still attract travelers, who are surprised to discover two neighboring Palmyras - two Tadmors. One of them is ancient, the other is new, young. People have not lived in one of them for a long time; it has become an eternal museum; in the other, since 1928, Bedouins, a poor people, began to settle. In 2003, the Syrian government issued a law to build a new Palmyra. The city began to be improved, new streets were built, electricity was installed. Hardworking residents planted palm groves, orchards, vegetable gardens here, plowed fields, and raised livestock. By tradition, Palmyra residents engage in trade, weave carpets, scarves, sew national clothes and sell all this to tourists. New Palmyra does not compete with the ancient one, for it itself is its continuation.
Palmyra was originally founded as an oasis settlement in the northern Syrian Desert called Tadmor. Although the Roman province of Syria was established in 64 BC, the population of Tadmor (predominantly Aramaic and Arab) remained semi-independent for more than half a century. They controlled trade routes between the Mediterranean coast of Syria and the Parthian lands east of the Euphrates. Palmyra was located precisely on two strategic trade routes: from the Far East and India to the Persian Gulf, as well as on the Great Silk Road.
Under the Roman Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD), Tadmor was included in the province of Syria, and renamed Palmyra, “city of palm trees.” After the Romans captured the Nabataean kingdom in 106, Palmyra became the most important political and shopping center in the Middle East, taking over the palm from Petra.
In 129, Emperor Hadrian granted Palmyra the status of a “free city,” giving residents the right of free settlement and significant trading privileges. In 217, Emperor Caracalla gave Palmyra the rights of a colony and appointed senator Septimius Odaenathus as its ruler. Soon Odaenathus himself and his son were killed as a result of rebellious plots. The wife of Odaenathus’s second son, Zenobia, became the ruler of Palmyra in 267, under whom the city reached greatest prosperity. Zenobia was a very ambitious woman and even stated that she was descended from Cleopatra.
In 272 Palmyra was captured by Emperor Aurelius and brought Zenobia to Rome as his trophy. In 273, Palmyra was razed to the ground and all its inhabitants were slaughtered in retaliation for a local rebellion during which about 600 Roman archers were killed in the city.
In the VI century. Emperor Justinian tried to restore the city and rebuilt defensive structures.
In 634 the city was captured by the Arabs.
The strongest earthquake of 1089 practically wiped Palmyra off the face of the earth.
In 1678, Palmyra was discovered by two English merchants living in the city of Aleppo in Syria.
Since 1924, archaeological excavations have been actively conducted in Palmyra, conducted by scientists from Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and since May 1959, Poland.
In 1980, UNESCO included Palmyra in the list of sites with World Heritage status.
The history of Palmyra - a fabulous city in the middle of the desert and a kind of “window from Europe to Asia” - through poeticmetaphorsturned out to be connected with another city on earth - St. Petersburg. In 1755 inPetersburgmagazine "Monthly essays for the benefit and amusement of employees" was published brief retelling books about Palmyra, published in 1753LondonEnglish travelers G. Dawkins and R. Wood. The text of this publication is in Russian, especially the remark about the art of Palmyra, which reached its peak at a time when “the arts of Greece and Rome had already been elevated to a high level of perfection”,associated with the “Greek project” of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Empress Catherine II. This is how it aroseimage"Northern Palmyra".
Catherine II named her grandchildren Alexander (in honor of Alexander the Great, who opened the way to Asia) and Constantine (in memory of the Byzantine emperor), which corresponded to the plans for the creation great empire in the Balkans. Palmyra, in the minds of enlightened people of Catherine’s time, was associated with the idea of “expanding the window” created by Tsar Peter, not only to Europe, but also to Asia, and Empress Catherine compared herself with the wayward Queen Zenobia, the widow of Tsar Odaenathus, who, after the death of her husband, set out to create a huge a kingdom between West and East.