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City Guide:
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 North of Damascus in a rich agricultural region, Hama (pop. 200,000)
is an ancient Syrian city--accounts mention it 4,000 years ago. Begin by climbing the hill
where the citadel was (nothing remains--all its stones were quarried for other buildings)
for an overview of the city, the beautiful Orontes river and its palm-lined banks. Across
the river are the remains of the Grand Mosque (demolished during the 1982 revolt, but
rapidly being rebuilt upon the same site). The main attraction of Hama is a series of
ancient 90-ft-/27-m-high norias (waterwheels), which date from the time of Christ--be sure
to see the Four Norias of Bichriyat. Other attractions include the 18th-century House of
Al Azem Museum (Roman, Christian and Moslem statuary) and the Mosque of El-Hayyat. Those visitors interested in architecture
will enjoy seeing the doors of the Khan Assad Pacha and Khan Rousstom Bacha caravansaries.
 Many of the local residents dress in traditional and colorful
clothing. Side trips from Hama include the Al-Madiq (Qalaat al Mudiq) Citadel (an ancient
hill fortress holding a village), Asriyeh (Roman temple) and Seijar (site of ancient town
with castle). One of the most impressive attractions is the Qasr Ibn Wardan (a church and
ruins of a palace dating from 561 AD). Allow a day to tour the city. Note: The ancient
quarter of Hadra is still under reconstruction after being completely flattened when the
army crushed a rebellion by the Moslem Brotherhood--the ensuing violence killed 20,000
city dwellers. The government does not consider the "incident" a fit subject of
polite conversation; some Syrians consider it to be a purely internal matter and will
point out that the U.S. Civil War was bloodier. 115 mi./185 km north of Damascus.
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