The ‘Oasis’ as it is sometimes called, was mentioned in one of the Assyrian tablets of the 20th century B.C. and in the tablets of Man. Palmyra was an ideal halt for the caravans moving between Iraq and al-Sham (present-day Syria. Lebanon and Jordan), Trading in silk from China to the Mediterranean.

This strategic location made Tadmor prosper in a well-established kingdom as from the 2 century B.C. yet, she found herself torn between two empires engaged in mutual wars: Rome and Persia. However, Tadmor realized that her interests lay more with Rome, since the Persians had ambitions to take over the mouths of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers which would endanger Palmyra’ s trade. When the Romans conquered Syria, Tadmor became known as the “city of palm-trees”, and flourished even more: she imposed high taxes on goods from the caravans, and her horsemen fought alongside the Roman armies. When the Roman emperor Adrian visited Palmyra, he declared her a “free city”; in return, the people of Tadmor gratefully called their city “Adriana Palmyra”.

When the Severus emperors, who were originally Syrian, came to rule Palmyra, They treated her people extremely well. The Emperor Caracalla declared her a Roman colony, something the Palmyra's had always hoped for, since it exempted them from paying taxes on luxury items such as perfumes. Spices, Ivory, Glass and silk.

This made the city a luxurious one: new constructions, streets, arches, temples and statues were built, making Palmyra one of the greatest cities of the Roman Empire.

When the conflict between Persia and Rome reached its peak, Rome resorted to the ruler of Palmyra for help. This ruler, Auzaina, managed to withstand the Persian armies, which led the Romans to call him “The leader of the East”. But he was soon assassinated in mysterious circumstances, and his second wife. Zenobia, a woman renowned for her exceptionally strong character, took power. She ruled Palmyra in a way that astonished both West and East. She was exceptionally intelligent and attractive. She was a gifted linguist, an eloquent speaker of Palmyra, Greek and Egyptian, Zenobia had a wide knowledge of politics, and in her court, she had many philosophers, scholars and theologians.

Queen Zenobia was soon fired by the ambition of getting rid of Roman domination. In 268 during the reign of Emperor Aurelian, she decided to conquer all of Rome’s territories.

Aurelian was then very much engaged in internal conflicts as well as external wars. This enabled Queen Zenobia to take over the whole of Syria. conquer Egypt and send her armies to Asia Minor, gaining control thereby of all the land and sea-ways to the Far East. She took the title of “August”, which was only used by the emperor of Rome. And she had money coined with her and her son’s likeness upon it, without that of the emperor of Rome. However, the Emperor Aurelian took quick action in settling his internal disputes, and started to plan his revenge on queen Zenohia. He formed a new army for this purpose, which proceeded through Turkey to conquer Zenobia’s army in its first Defensive position in Horns. It besieged Palmyra until she fell in 274. Queen Zenobia was defeated and taken captive to Rome, fettered in chains of gold.

The destiny of the great kingdom of Palmyra was no better than that of her queen; the city fell prey to looting and destruction. Archaeologists are still working on excavations there in order to uncover the queen’s palace which was destroyed by the Romans and replaced by a military camp. Queen Zenobia s ambitious dream is still embodied in the magnificent remains of what she built.

Palmyra lies 210km northeast of Damascus and 155km east of Horns. A tour among the ruins, which cover an area of 6 square kilometers, requires a full day in order to form an adequate idea of the beauty of the architecture which has remained.

 Worth Visiting is the Baa! Temple, the Arch of Triumph, the amphitheater, the baths, the “Straight Street”, the Congress Council and the Cemeteries, Close to Palmyra, on a nearby hill, stands the citadel of Fakhr al-Din al-Ma’ni (17th century).

The museum of Palmyra (The Tadmor museum) is rich in art of different periods; sculpture, mosaic, gold, bronze and pottery. It also exhibits the folklore of Palmyra and the Syrian Desert.