Homs
Homs (
Arabic, حمص
Himş) is a city and governorate in
Syria. The city is located on the
Orontes river, dating back to
2300 B.C.. In
Roman times it was known as
Emesa, and it was known as
Kadesh during
Biblical times. The
Krak des Chevaliers is built on the mountain gap near Homs. It is also home to the Tomb of
Khalid bin Walid, a famous and celebrated
Muslim Warrior. The current population of the city is 700,000.
Emesa had a temple to the Syrian sun god El Gebal (Aramaic), also called Elagabalus (Latin) and Heliogabalus (Greek). During Roman times Emesa was ruled by its local dynasty of priest-kings (see
Royal Family of Emesa). It was the birthplace of the
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, better known as
Elagabalus, who was a hereditary priest of the his namesake deity and succeeded his cousin
Caracalla in 218. Emesa was also Roman Emperor
Aurelian's headquarter during his campaign against Queen
Zenobia of Palmyra.
The residents of Homs (Hamasne) have a reputations of being crazy and having an official holiday (every Wednesday) for practicing a Crazy Fest (Eid El- Majaneen). This myth has its roots in antiquity when the Romans decided to conquer the city. When the citizens heard the Romans were approaching, the council put out advisories for residents to act as if they were crazy. Plans were put for the citizens to eat with full mouths, excrete in the open, dance, and make practical jokes. The resident followed this advice, ensuring the siege was not violent.
The Homs governorate encompasses the city of Homs and the surrounding countryside. It is bordered to the south by the
Rif Dimashq governorate, to the north by the
Tartous,
Hama, and
Ar Raqqah governorates, and to the east by the
Dayr az Zawr governorate.
*
Homs* http://www.acrosssyria.blogspot.com
* http://www.homslife.com/
* http://www.homsonline.com/
* http://www.syriagate.com/Syria/about/cities/Homs/
* http://www.syriatourism.org/Destinations/homs.htm
