1 hour Stop at the Fascinating Hamah

At around 10:05 hours, we arrived at a small city called Hamah literally means fortress. Hamah is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in central Syria north of Damascus. It is the provincial capital of the Hamah Governorate.

The city is the location of the historical city Hamath. Now, the population of Hamah is 410,000, and the city is the fifth-largest in Syria, after Damascus, Aleppo, Hims and Latakia.

The city is the location of the historical city Hamath. Now, the population of Hamah is 410,000, and the city is the fifth-largest in Syria, after Damascus, Aleppo, Hims and Latakia. The cleanliness and the well maintained buildings amid the Orentes river and the mountain range amazed us. The pleasing scenery soothed our eyes and helped ‘massaging’ our tired muscles.

We went straight to the 5th oldest Masjid in the Muslim world called al A’la Kabir Masjid. Unfortunately the Masjid was closed. “It will be opened during the Dhuhur prayer time” Amir comforted us politely. Despite that, we spent around 20 minutes admiring the architecture of the Masjid from outside.

We stopped at one of the 17 Noriahs besides another famous masjid called an Nouri Masjid or Nur al Din Masjid, which was built by Nur A Din Zenggi in 1172. I did not go in, however, from outside, one could see its square minaret – the masjid’s strongest feature, which was made of alternating bands of black basalt and yellow limestone.

Hamah’s most famous attractions are its 17 norias or waterwheels, claimed dating back to 1100 during the Byzantine times. Fed by the Orontes River, they are up to 20 metres (66 ft) in diameter. The largest norias are the al-Mamunye (1453) and the al-Muhammediye (14th century). Originally they were used to route water into a aqueducts, which led into the town and the neighboring agricultural areas. The norias exist today, however, as an almost aesthetic traditional show.

Orentes River is named locally al Assi or literally means rebel, because the water flows to the north unlike the rest of the rivers in the region. I took the opportunity exploring the noria and had a close look at the quality of the water. No comments.

We had our pit stop – refueling and refreshing – at one of the restaurant in front of the city garden. The stuff and the supervisor (I presumed) were very nice and we met few friendly Syrian inside the restaurant, who were kinds enough posing with us for our memento. We ordered few sets of the Syrian Croissants and it was really delicious – mouth watering. After stretching our legs for about half an hour at restaurant, we went to the city garden enjoying the fresh air while admiring the spectacular scenery that the Hamahian had.

Hamah is an important agricultural and industrial center in Syria, with 3,680 square kilometres (1,420 sq mi), over a third of the governorate's area under cultivation. The governorate produces over half of the national crop of potatoes and pistachio nuts, as well as growing a variety of other vegetables. Livestock ranching is also common in the governorate.

We continued our adventure and left the city around 11:05 hours.