Why is Palmyra, a city in Syria, under the special protection of UNESCO? History of ancient palmyra. Palmyra under Zenobia

Of all the numerous monuments of Syria, the most famous are. The name of this city has long become a household name (for example, "Northern Palmyra" called Petersburg). The majestic temples, tombs and colonnades of Palmyra amaze the imagination and compete with the most famous buildings ancient Greece and Italy.

- an ancient city in the Tadmor oasis, in the heart of Syria. People chose this place not by chance: on a long caravan route from sea coast to the Euphrates among the barren rocky hills and sand only here they make their way water sources. One of them, the sulfurous spring of Efka, was considered sacred in antiquity. Archaeological excavations have shown that a settlement existed here as far back as end III millennium BC. e.

History of the city of Palmyra

The first mention of Palmyra (under the name Tadmor, which the Arab village located near the ancient ruins still bears) is found in Babylonian cuneiform texts of the 19th century. BC e. Then for more than a thousand years there is no mention of this city. Again this name appears at the time of the first Assyrian conquerors. At that time, the Arameans lived in the Tadmor oasis. They, along with the Arabs, formed the core of the population of Palmyra.

By the 1st century n. e. Palmyra has become the largest trading and Cultural Center. It was the main link in the trade between East and West: here, on the border of the waterless desert, the well-maintained road from the coast ended and the shortest caravan trail to the Euphrates began. Caravans from Arabia, Persia, India and even from China stopped here to rest.

The wealth of the city irresistibly attracted the eyes of its neighbors. In 41 BC. e. Palmyra unsuccessfully tried to capture the Roman commander Mark Antony, who needed money to fight Octavian Augustus. Shortly after 40 BC. e. Antony nevertheless captured and plundered Palmyra. Under the emperor Tiberius, the successor of Augustus, the city was forced to pay tribute to the Romans. Then the ancient Tadmor was called "Palmyra" - "City of Palms". Under the Romans, there were laid good roads and trade relations were streamlined, which brought new prosperity to Palmyra.

Around 200 AD. e. Julia Domna, the daughter of a priest from the Syrian city of Emessa (now Homs), became the wife of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus. He exempted Palmyra - perhaps out of love for his wife - from the land tax. His wife's sister, Julia Mesa, managed to place her grandson Heliogabalus on the Roman throne with the help of intrigues. After he was killed, the Syrian Alexander Severus became emperor. He and his successors contributed - through the influence of their Syrian wives or because of their own Syrian origin - to the development of Syria and put a lot of effort into the further flourishing of Palmyra.

The peak of Palmyra's power falls on the II-III centuries. The importance of the city increased dramatically during the struggle between Rome and the successors of the Parthians - the Sassanids. And after the emperor Valery, having suffered a defeat in the battle with the Sassanids, was taken prisoner, the fate of the eastern provinces of Rome became completely dependent on Palmyra.

At that time, a dynasty of kings of Arab origin ruled in the city. The most prominent representative of this dynasty, King Odenathus, nicknamed the Great, in 260 even dared to attack his powerful eastern neighbors- Sassanids. He managed to defeat their army and besiege their capital Ctesiphon (near modern Baghdad). Gratitude was not long in coming: for the victory over the Persians, the Roman emperor Gallienus granted Odenathus the title of "emperor and restorer of the entire East", and Palmyra regained its independence.

Odaenathus remained unrestricted ruler of Syria until 267, when he was killed at Emessa. And then came a great time for Zenobia, his wife. The Arabs called her Zubaydat - "a woman with beautiful, thick and long hair." Contemporaries glorified her perfect beauty, courage, wisdom and energy. Under her Palmyra experienced the last period of its heyday.

However, if Odaenathus Rome owed calmness on his eastern borders, he owed nothing to Zenobia. The Roman emperor Gallienus refused to recognize the right of the young son of Odaenathus to imperial title. Zenobia, who by that time had established dominance over almost the entire East, could not bear such an insult. She rejected the claims of Rome to the territories won by her late husband in the fight against the Sassanids, and when the emperor tried to achieve his goal by force, the troops of Zenobia defeated the Roman troops. Moreover, taking advantage of the Goth attack on Rome, Zenobia sent her commander Zabda to conquer the territories that remained under Roman control - Egypt and Asia Minor. Zabda successfully coped with his task: the Romans were defeated, and both provinces became part of the Palmyra kingdom. From now on, Zenobia became the mistress of the entire East - from the Euphrates to the Nile and from the sands of Arabia to Anatolia.

In 271, Emperor Aurelian broke off all negotiations with the ambassadors of Zenobia and went on a campaign. One of the Roman detachments landed in Egypt, and the main forces, led by the emperor, launched an offensive in Asia Minor. At the walls of Antioch, the Palmyrene army was defeated. Aurelian pursued her to Emessa. Here Zenobia, personally leading her troops, suffered complete defeat. She fled to Palmyra. Aurelian followed close behind her. The Roman legions besieged the city. Palmyra surrendered...

The city was dying for a long time. After the defeat arranged by Aurelian, the Roman garrison was stationed here. Under Emperor Diocletian, at the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries, construction resumed in Palmyra, which, however, was mainly of a military-defensive nature. On a huge area of 30,000 sq. m stretched out the camp of the Roman troops, called the camp of Diocletian. The newly rebuilt defensive walls protected a much smaller area than before, since the population of the city had sharply decreased by that time. The construction of the Roman camp was last step in the history of the city.

Under the Byzantines, Palmyra still existed as an insignificant border point, and already the Arabs took it without a fight, the townspeople could not even resist. Yes, then they no longer lived in the city, but huddled behind the walls of the sanctuary of Bel, stuck a lot of dark and cramped adobe shacks there. After 2–3 generations, no one remembered either the names of the gods, or the names of temples, or the purpose of public buildings. Then, for many years, the Turks came, who themselves had no idea about the culture of the peoples subject to them and did not allow others to study it. Excavations were prohibited throughout Ottoman Empire. Nobody cared about the past, about the glorious history of the now dying city. Gradually, the sands of the desert brought the remnants of the former greatness of Palmyra ...

The ruins of Palmyra became known only in the 17th century. First, merchants and travelers who accidentally got here, and from the 2nd floor. 19th century - scientific expeditions introduced Europeans to this city that caused surprise and admiration. The excavations of Palmyra began in the 1920s. and are still ongoing.

Architectural monuments of Palmyra

The preservation of the buildings of Palmyra was largely facilitated by their location among the sands of the desert, far from big cities and trade routes moving south. The ruins of Palmyra are located in a basin between the spurs of the hills of Jebel Hayane and Jebel el-Karr. The city has the shape of an ellipse, stretching from the southeast to the northwest. Its length is about 2 km, its width is half that. The defensive walls are well preserved, in the ring of which the main monuments of the city are located.

By the time of the Roman conquest, two historical centers of Palmyra had already formed: a religious one in the east and a commercial one in the west. They were connected by an ancient caravan road. Subsequently, the main street of the city, known as the Great Colonnade, was laid on the site of this road.

A large colonnade stretched from the southeast to the northwest, from the Temple of Bel to the so-called Tomb Temple. This magnificent avenue was built over many decades, and its laying coincides with the visit to Palmyra of the Roman emperor Hadrian in 129.

The total length of the street reaches 1100 m, the width of the carriageway is 11 m. On both sides of it stretched covered porticos with two rows of columns made of golden limestone and pink Aswan granite. Such colonnades were a typical decoration of Roman cities. But nowhere, except for the North African (Tamugadi), they are not preserved as well as in Palmyra.

The columns of the Great Colonnade, including the foundation and capitals, reach a height of 10 m. The surface of the columns, especially in their lower part, is badly damaged. This is the result of the centuries-old work of sand brought by the wind from the Syrian desert. In some places, a slender row of columns is interrupted by semicircular arches beautifully inscribed in it - they mark the beginning of the side streets of the city departing from the Great Colonnade.

The decoration of the central section of the Great Colonnade is the monumental one, built around 200. Its sculptural decoration is distinguished by its special splendor. Not all of its details have been preserved, but even in its present form, the triumphal arch is one of the most impressive buildings in Palmyra. It was placed in such a way that through its spans a spectacular view of the Temple of Bel opens up. The last section of the Great Colonnade turned south from the arch and led to the entrance to this sanctuary.

Temple of Bel (Baal)- the local supreme deity, the ruler of the sky, thunder and lightning, an analogue of the ancient Greek Zeus - was the main shrine of the city. This is the largest building in Palmyra. Its construction was completed in 32 AD. e. The vast complex once consisted of a courtyard surrounded by a fence, ritual pools, altars and the temple itself.

The second most important temple of Palmyra is dedicated to Baalshamin. This deity was revered throughout Syria. He was called the lord of heaven, a beneficent deity who sends rain. The Temple of Baalshamin was consecrated in 131, as inscribed on one of its pillars. It is a typical Roman building, with a deep six-column portico, the columns of which were once decorated with statues. Relatively small in size, this temple makes a monumental impression due to its massive forms.

Along the Great Colonnade there were many large public buildings. Directly behind the triumphal arch, to the left of the colonnade, is the sanctuary of the Syrian god Nabo, an analogue of the Greek Apollo. Rectangular temple built in the 1st century. n. e., surrounded by a solemn colonnade with six columns on the front and twelve on the sides. The walls of the porticos were decorated with paintings. From this temple, only a high podium with a staircase, on which the bases of the columns are visible, has been preserved.

Opposite the temple of Nabo rise the ruins of huge baths, built, as the surviving inscription says, by Sosian Hierocles, the governor of Syria under the emperor Diocletian. However, archaeologists have established that under Diocletian, only the baths were reconstructed, and the building itself was built a hundred years earlier. With their size and richness of decoration, the baths of Palmyra were not inferior to the famous Roman baths, but today only a portico with monolithic porphyry columns and a rectangular pool, into which they went down a stone staircase, have survived from them. The baths were supplied with water from a source located northwest of the city. A part of the aqueduct running from there has been preserved.

Behind the temple of Nabo is the Palmyra Theatre. It is not as big as other theaters of ancient times, but it is distinguished by a special sophistication in design. On the western side, the ruins of the Palmyra Senate adjoin the theater. Next to it is the entrance to the agora, a rectangular square surrounded by porticos, which served as a market and a place for city meetings.

The agora is surrounded by structures of various sizes. One of them, with massive walls and wide doors, was obviously a caravanserai. Not far from the agora, a huge stele slab, almost 5 m long, dating back to 137 AD, was found. e., - the famous "Palmyra tariff". The stele contains Greek and Aramaic decisions of the senate on taxes and tariffs imposed on the city, for example, for the use of water from a source. This slab, discovered in 1881 by the Russian traveler Abamelek-Lazarev, is now kept in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

The latest building in Palmyra is Diocletian's camp. In its center, a square was arranged, on which the ruins of the Temple of the Banners now rise, where they once kept battle flags Roman legions. The rear wall, the monumental staircase of sixteen steps, the lower parts of the walls and big number richly ornamented blocks framing doorways. The inscription above the entrance tells the name of the builder of Diocletian's camp - Sosian Hierocles.

The camp of Diocletian closely adjoins the fortress walls. Behind them, the hills surrounding the city begin, on the highest of which rises the medieval Arab fortress of Qalaat Ibn Maan. The remains of Palmyra buildings were used to build its walls and towers. From the fortress opens great view to the ruins ancient city.

Half-ruined towers rise on the slopes of the hills surrounding Palmyra. This is an urban necropolis, where many ancient tombs have been preserved.

Their majestic towers, reaching 20 m in height, give the landscape a special solemnity. There are no similar burial structures in other regions of Syria. As archaeologists have established, the most ancient towers in the necropolises of Palmyra were erected over vast underground tombs -. Such tombs served as a common tomb for many generations of the same family, and sometimes even rented out.

The ruins of Palmyra with its columned streets, basilicas, altars and tombs can probably be considered a classic example of an ancient city - the way the imagination traditionally draws it: huge blocks of temples, fragments of funerary structures, amphitheater steps overgrown with grass, dilapidated Ionic and Corinthian columns, aspiring into the sky, split capitals lying on the ground, chipped niches with pedestals for sculptures, broken bas-reliefs… Time was merciless to the ancient city. For a long time serving only as a haven for jackals, the ruins of Palmyra became known to the whole world and gained a second life, becoming one of the largest tourist centers Middle East included in

.... In 2015, the modern barbarians again ruthlessly treated Palmyra, blowing up both temples (Bela and Baalshamin), as well as the Monumental Arch and tomb towers.

In addition, later, in 2017, they destroyed central part amphitheater. Currently, work is underway to restore monuments, so I hope that the history of the ancient city will continue.

The first mention of this city dates back to 900 BC. Palmyra was ruled by the most famous kings of antiquity to this day. There were uprisings, the collapse of empires, intrigues and many other significant historical processes.

The architecture of ancient times has survived to this day and is truly unique. However, in 2015, the remains of the ancient city were destroyed by Islamic State terrorists.

ancient times

The antiquity of the city can be estimated at least by the fact that the Bible contains a description of such a fortress as Palmyra. Syria at that time was not single state. Various kings and tribes ruled over its territory. The famous biblical character - King Solomon - decided to found Tadmor ( former name) as a fortress to protect against the raids of the Arameans. The place was chosen at the crossroads of trade routes. But soon after the construction, the city was almost completely destroyed as a result of the campaign of Nuavuhodnosor. But the extremely favorable location prompted the new owners to rebuild the settlement. Since then, rich merchants and nobles have constantly arrived here. Per a short time From a village in the desert, Palmyra turned into a kingdom.

Rumors of untold riches spread even throughout Europe. I myself learned that near the Euphrates valley there is an unspeakable beautiful city Palmyra. Syria at that time was partly controlled by the Parthians, who were at war with Rome. That's why imperial troops decided to take the city, but these attempts did not lead to success. A few years later, the commander from the Antonin dynasty nevertheless took Tadmor. Since then, the city and its environs have become a Roman colony. But local rulers were given extended rights that were not in other conquered lands.

greatest power

The struggle for these territories was much wider than control over the province of Palmyra. Syria is a third of the desert, which is impossible to inhabit. Therefore, control over this area depended on the capture of several stronghold nodes. Whoever controlled the region between the sea and the Euphrates valley had influence over the entire desert. Since the city was very far from the central Roman lands, there were often uprisings against the capital. One way or another, Palmyra has always remained a relatively independent province, following the example of Greek city-states. The peak of power came during the reign of Queen Zenobia. Merchants from all over the Middle East traveled to Tamdor. Luxurious temples and palaces were erected. Therefore, Zenobia decided to completely get rid of Roman oppression. However, Aurelian, the Roman emperor, reacted quickly enough and went with the army to distant borders. As a result, the Romans conquered Palmyra, and the queen was captured. Since then, the decline of one of the most beautiful cities of antiquity begins.

Sunset

After the overthrow of Zenobia, the city still remained under the scrutiny of the Roman emperors. Some of them tried to rebuild and restore the original appearance of Palmyra. However, their attempts were never successful. As a result, in the 8th century AD, an Arab raid took place, as a result of which Palmyra was again devastated.

After that, only a small settlement remained from the mighty province. However, most of the monuments have survived, having survived to this day and until 2015 were under the protection of UNESCO. Syria - Palmyra, which is known to the whole world, especially - was a real Mecca for tourists. However, everything has changed.

Palmyra: a city in Syria today

Since 2012, there has been a bloodshed in Syria. Civil War. By 2016, it is still not over and more and more parties are taking part in it. In the spring of 2015, Palmyra became the scene of hostilities. Like thousands of years ago, this province is the nodal point for desert control. There is a strategically important route to Deir ez-Zor. It was under the control of the government troops of Bashar al-Assad. Even in winter, militants of the terrorist organization of Iraq and the Levant infiltrated the province of Tamdor. For several months they tried to take the city, but to no avail.

Destruction

However, at the end of spring, when the main forces of government troops were busy in other directions, the militants launched a massive offensive against Palmyra. After a week of fierce fighting, ISIS still managed to take the city and its environs. This was followed by a series of brutal massacres. The militants began to destroy ancient monuments architecture. In addition, the terrorists allowed the so-called "black archaeologists" to work in the city. They resell the finds they find on the black market for a lot of money. Those monuments that are not transportable are destroyed.

Satellite images confirm that this moment almost all the buildings on the site where the city of Palmyra used to be were wiped off the face of the earth. Syria is still in a state of armed conflict, so it is not known whether this will leave terrible war some monuments for our descendants.

March 19th, 2017

Palmyra.
Its beauty is quiet, natural, the city seems to continue the surrounding nature.
From the yellow sand of the valley, framed by purple hills,
rise columns with capitals - curly, like the crowns of palm trees.

Many people say about such places, “What is there to see? A pile of stones ... ". And yet, when I get to 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! And on the other hand, such fragility that at times it is scary for our civilization. Once it seemed that these monuments would remain so for many years to come and we would have time to look at them and touch them. However, events recent years they tell us that if something has stood for several thousand years, this does not mean at all that it will survive now.

Look how it looked five years ago...

Palmyra (also known as Tadmor) - in ancient times a city of great importance, 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 place stops for caravans crossing the Syrian Desert and was often referred to as the "Desert Bride". The earliest documented evidence of the city comes from Babylonian tablets found at Mari. They refer to it under the Semitic name Tadmor, which means "repelling city" in Amorite or "rebellious city" in Aramaic. Now near the ruins of Palmyra there is a settlement Tadmor. The inhabitants of Palmyra erected huge monuments with such ritual objects of art as limestone slabs with busts of the dead.

Leaves and bunches of grapes, camels, eagles are carved on the golden walls heated by the sun. Until our time, Palmyra has been preserved unrebuilt, 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 it all started with Efka - underground source with tepid water, giving off sulfur. Desperate travelers, wanderers, merchants arranged a halt here, watered tired camels, horses and donkeys, pitched tents for the night. Over time, a kind of transshipment point grew here - a lively crossroads of buying and selling. Then it turned into a city of customs, inns and taverns. The city of money changers, merchants, pedlars, konovalov, vagabonds, warriors, priests of the most different religions, doctors, runaway slaves, masters of all professions.

Slaves and female slaves from Egypt and Asia Minor were sold here. Purple-dyed wool was highly valued; merchants, praising their goods, claimed that, compared with 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, clothes, harness, shoes.

Under the vaults Arc de Triomphe transactions were made, there was a multilingual rumble, but the Europeans called it Triumph. In their representations, arches and gates are placed to glorify high-profile military victories and in honor of great commanders. But the Palmyra architects solved a different problem: the double gates of the arch were set at an angle and, as it were, concealed the break in the street, straightened it.

Until our time, the second important crossroads of the city, the Tetrapylon, has been preserved. It is built of granite monoliths on four huge pedestals. Here, too, trade was in full swing, the stone floors of the shops have survived to this day.

There were many temples in the city, they were built cheerfully, to the conscience.

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 heaven; 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 of the city, had central hall area of 200 square meters. That's when it spread across Ancient East the glory of the beauty and perfection of Palmyra.

There were three entrances to the temple, decorated with gilded panels. Today they are replaced by wooden gates through which tourists enter the sanctuary. The broken slab is crowned with dragon teeth, giving the sanctuary a menacing look. A special entrance has been preserved, which was made for camels, bulls and goats doomed to be slaughtered, as well as a drain for blood - the god Bel demanded sacrifices.

In Palmyra, a temple was built in honor of the god Nabo, the son of Marduk, the ruler of the Babylonian sky. Nabo was in charge of the fate of mortals and was the messenger of 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.

From the temple of Nabo there was only one foundation, from the temple of Allat - only doors, 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, rich merchants who sat in the Senate. Their decisions were approved by the governor appointed from Rome. Emperor Adrian, who visited Palmyra, gave the city some independence - he recalled the governor, lowered taxes, and transferred power to the local leader.

Years passed, decades passed, and gradually Palmyra turned into one of the most prosperous cities in the Middle East. Just like in Rome, they arranged here Gladiator fights, the young men fought with wild animals. Frantikhs from the upper strata of society dressed in the latest Roman fashion, and even ahead of it.

Children were given Roman names, often in combination with Palmyra ones.

The ancient Palmyrenes loved to erect monuments to each other. Almost all columns of the Great Colonnade, temples and public buildings have stone shelves in the middle, on which stood sculptural images of noble and respected people. At one time, the columns of Agara (the Palmyrene forum, surrounded by porticos 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 policy. The ruler of Palmyra, Odenathus, defeated the troops of the Persian king himself, but he was well aware that any attempt to rise would cause fear and anger in Rome. But regardless of his will, both Palmyra and he himself acquired everything greater influence in the Middle East.

Then Rome resorted (as is very often the case) to a simple means - the physical elimination of a person. The Roman authorities of the country of Suri in 267 (or in 266) invited Odaenathus to discuss current affairs in Emessa (the modern city of Homs). And there, during the meeting, he, along with his eldest son Herodian, fell at the hands of his nephew Meon.

For others historical information, his wife Zenobia, who was the stepmother of Herodian, took part in the murder of Odaenathus. She allegedly wanted to eliminate them both in order to clear the way to power for her young son Vaballat. In fact, the energetic widow ruled on her own. The loud glory of Palmyra and the expansion of the state's borders are associated with her name. She endured the hardships of military campaigns no worse than any of her soldiers.

In the local language, the name Zenobia sounded like Bat-Zobbi. 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 have preserved her image. “Matte, swarthy skin and black eyes of amazing beauty, a lively look with a divine brilliance. She dressed in luxurious outfits, knew how to wear military armor and weapons.

According to the testimony of ancient chroniclers, Zenobia was an educated woman, appreciated scientists, favorably treated philosophers and sages.

The Roman emperor Gallienus hoped that the second son of Odaenathus would not be able to rule Palmyra due to his childhood. However, he did not take into account that the widow, the beautiful Zenobia, the smartest and most educated woman, was ready to take up state activities. Her teacher, the famous Syrian philosopher Cassius Longinus of Emessa, advised her to enthrone Vaballathus and become his regent. She waited with great care for the hour of the 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 concealed 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 the troops of Palmyra would refuse to go into battle under the command of a woman. And they miscalculated a lot. The Palmyrene chiefs Zabbey and Zabda swore allegiance to Zenobia. The army that went over to its side soon captured Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and in the north reached the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.

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 it was not possible to withstand a long siege. It only remained 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. But Aurelian's cavalry followed on his heels, and Zenobia was taken prisoner at the very river. Palmyra fell.

This was seventeen centuries ago. Further fate Zenobia is mysterious and gives rise to many conjectures and assumptions: as if the masterful queen was killed, as if she was led around Rome in golden chains, as if she was married to a Roman senator and she lived until her old age.

Having taken Palmyra, the Roman troops knocked down the statue of Zenobia, but the city was not touched. Under Emperor Diocletian, construction even resumed here: the residence of Zenobia was turned into a Roman military camp, the barracks were expanded here, the water supply was improved, and a Christian basilica was erected.

1900

Several times the Palmyrenes raised an uprising for independence, but unsuccessfully.

Gradually, the city nobility left the city, the merchants, deprived of ties with the East, left, and after them, caravan drivers, officials, and the most skilled artisans remained idle. And Palmyra began to languish, 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 behind the walls of the sanctuary of Bel, stuck a lot of dark and cramped adobe shacks there. After 2-3 generations, no one remembered either the names of the gods, or the names of temples, or the purpose of public buildings.

Then, for many years, the Turks came, who themselves had no idea about the culture of the peoples subject to them and did not allow others to study it. Excavations were prohibited throughout the Ottoman Empire. Nobody cared about the past, about the glorious history of the now dying city. The dust of oblivion hid Palmyra from the living memory of mankind. Palmyra had to be rediscovered.

Opening honor Palmyra history attributes to the Italian Pietro della Balle. long, with great difficulty travelers reached Palmyra in the 17th century, but when they returned to Europe, they simply did not believe them. A city in the Syrian desert? Can this be? But after 100 years, the artist Wood brought to England the drawings made in Palmyra. With the publication of these engravings, the fashion for Palmyra began, appeared detailed descriptions ancient city, travel essays.

most interesting find that time was made by our compatriot, Petersburger S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev. He discovered and published a Greco-Aramaic inscription detailing customs regulations(the so-called "Palmyra tariff"). Today this document is kept in the Hermitage. Ancient times locals they called (however, they still call) Palmyra "Tadmor". Translated, this word means "to be wonderful, beautiful."

In the 20th century, they became seriously interested in it. Gradually, but steadily, Russia's interest in Palmyra 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 towering in the desert still attract travelers who are surprised to discover two neighboring Palmyra - two Tadmor. 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, poor people, began to settle. In 2003, the Syrian government issued a law to build a new Palmyra. The city began to improve, new streets were built, electricity was supplied. Hard-working residents laid here palm groves, orchards, orchards, plowed fields, raised cattle. According to tradition, the Palmyrians are engaged in trade, weave carpets, scarves, sew national clothes and sell it to tourists. New Palmyra does not compete with the ancient one, for it is itself a continuation of it.

Palmyra was originally founded as a settlement in an oasis in the northern Syrian desert called Tadmor. Although the Roman province of Syria was established in 64 BC, the population of Tadmor (predominantly Arameans and Arabs) remained semi-independent for more than half a century. They were in control trade routes between the Mediterranean coast of Syria and the lands of the Parthians east of the Euphrates. Palmyra was located just on two strategic trade routes: from Far East and India to the Persian Gulf, as well as on the Great Silk Road.

Under the Roman emperor Tiberius (AD 14-37), Tadmor was incorporated into the province of Syria and renamed Palmyra, "city of palm trees." After the capture of the Nabataean kingdom by the Romans 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 " free city”, giving residents the right to free settlement and significant trading privileges. In 217, the 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 conspiracies. The ruler of Palmyra in 267 was the wife of the second son of Odenathus - Zenobia, under which the city reached greatest flourishing. Zenobia was a very ambitious woman and even declared that she was descended from Cleopatra.

In 272, Emperor Aurelius captured Palmyra and brought Zenobia to Rome as his trophy. In 273, Palmyra was razed to the ground, and all the inhabitants were slaughtered as a result of an act of retribution for the rebellion. local population, during which about 600 Roman archers were killed in the city.

In the VI century. Emperor Justinian tried to rebuild the city and rebuilt defensive structures.

In 634 the city was captured by the Arabs.

The strongest earthquake in 1089 practically wiped Palmyra off the face of the earth.

In 1678, Palmyra was discovered by two English merchants who lived in the city of Aleppo in Syria.

Since 1924, Palmyra has been actively conducting archaeological excavations conducted by scientists from Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and, since May 1959, Poland.

In 1980, the UNESCO organization included Palmyra in the list of sites with the status of "World Heritage".

History of Palmyra fabulous city in the middle of the desert and a kind of "window from Europe to Asia" - through poetic metaphors turned out to be connected with another city on earth - St. Petersburg. In 1755 in Petersburg magazine "Monthly essays for the benefit and entertainment of employees" was published brief retelling book about Palmyra, published in 1753 in London English travelers G. Dawkins and R. Wood. The text of this publication in Russian, especially the remark about the art of Palmyra, which reached its peak at a time when "the arts of Greece and Rome were already elevated to a high level of perfection", associated with the "Greek project" Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseevna, future Empress Catherine II. So arose image"Northern Palmyra".

Palmyra (Palmyra, also known as Tadmor) - in ancient times a city of great importance, 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 stopover for caravans crossing the Syrian Desert, and was often referred to as the "Bride of the Desert". The earliest documented evidence of the city comes from Babylonian tablets found at Mari. They refer to it under the Semitic name Tadmor, which means "repelling city" in Amorite or "rebellious city" in Aramaic. Now near the ruins of Palmyra there is a settlement Tadmor. The inhabitants of Palmyra erected huge monuments with such ritual objects of art as limestone slabs with busts of the dead.

Leaves and bunches of grapes, camels, eagles are carved on the golden walls heated by the sun. Until our time, Palmyra has been preserved unrebuilt, 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 it all started with Efka - an underground source with lukewarm water, reeking of sulfur. Desperate travelers, wanderers, merchants arranged a halt here, watered tired camels, horses and donkeys, pitched tents for the night. Over time, a kind of transshipment point grew here - a lively crossroads of buying and selling. Then it turned into a city of customs, inns and taverns. The city changed, merchants, peddlers, horse-carriers, vagrants, warriors, priests of various religions, healers, runaway slaves, masters of all professions.

Under the arches of the Arc de Triomphe, transactions were made, there was a multilingual rumble, but the Europeans called it the Arc de Triomphe. In their representations, arches and gates are placed to glorify high-profile military victories and in honor of great commanders. But the Palmyra architects solved a different problem: the double gates of the arch were set at an angle and, as it were, concealed the break in the street, straightened it.

The second important intersection of the city, the Tetrapylon, has survived to our time. It is built of granite monoliths on four huge pedestals. Here, too, trade was in full swing, the stone floors of the shops have survived to this day.

There were many temples in the city, they were built cheerfully, to the conscience.

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 heaven; 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 of the city, had a central hall with an area of 200 square meters. It was then that the glory of the beauty and perfection of Palmyra spread throughout the Ancient East.

From the temple of Nabo there was only one foundation, from the temple of Allat - only doors, 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, rich merchants who sat in the Senate. Their decisions were approved by the governor appointed from Rome. Emperor Adrian, who visited Palmyra, gave the city some independence - he recalled the governor, reduced taxes, and transferred power to the local leader.

Years passed, decades passed, and gradually Palmyra turned into one of the most prosperous cities in the Middle East. As well as in Rome, gladiatorial fights were organized here, young men fought with wild animals. Frantikhs from the upper strata of society dressed in the latest Roman fashion, and even ahead of it.

Children were given Roman names, often in combination with Palmyra ones.

But little by little the Palmyra leaders stopped listening to the Senate and began to pursue their own policy. The ruler of Palmyra, Odenathus, defeated the troops of the Persian king himself, but he was well aware that any attempt to rise would cause fear and anger in Rome. But regardless of his will, both Palmyra and he himself were gaining more and more influence in the Middle East.

According to other historical sources, his wife Zenobia, who was the stepmother of Herodian, took part in the murder of Odaenathus. She allegedly wanted to eliminate them both in order to clear the way to power for her young son Vaballat. In fact, the energetic widow ruled on her own. The loud glory of Palmyra and the expansion of the state's borders are associated with her name. She endured the hardships of military campaigns no worse than any of her soldiers.

According to the testimony of ancient chroniclers, Zenobia was an educated woman, appreciated scientists, favorably treated philosophers and sages.

The Roman emperor Gallienus hoped that the second son of Odaenathus would not be able to rule Palmyra due to his childhood. However, he did not take into account that the widow, the beautiful Zenobia, the smartest and most educated woman, was ready to engage in state activities. Her teacher, the famous Syrian philosopher Cassius Longinus of Emessa, advised her to enthrone Vaballathus and become his regent. She waited with great care for the hour of the 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.

This was seventeen centuries ago. The further fate of Zenobia is mysterious and gives rise to many conjectures and assumptions: as if the masterful queen was killed, as if she was led around Rome in golden chains, as if she was married to a Roman senator and she lived until her old age.

1900

Several times the Palmyrenes raised an uprising for independence, but unsuccessfully.

The Arabs took it without a fight, the townspeople could not even resist. Yes, they no longer lived in the city, but huddled behind the walls of the sanctuary of Bel, stuck a lot of dark and cramped adobe shacks there. After 2–3 generations, no one remembered either the names of the gods, or the names of temples, or the purpose of public buildings.

Opening honor Palmyra history attributes to the Italian Pietro della Balle. For a long time, with great difficulty, travelers reached Palmyra in the 17th century, but when they returned to Europe, they simply did not believe them. A city in the Syrian desert? Can this be? But after 100 years, the artist Wood brought to England the drawings made in Palmyra. With the publication of these engravings, the fashion for Palmyra began, detailed descriptions of the ancient city, travel essays appeared.

The most interesting discovery of that time was made by our compatriot, Petersburger S. S. Abamelek-Lazarev. He discovered and published a Greco-Aramaic inscription detailing customs regulations (the so-called "Palmyrene Tariff"). Today this document is kept in the Hermitage. In ancient times, the locals called (however, they still call) Palmyra "Tadmor". Translated, this word means "to be wonderful, beautiful."

In the 20th century, they became seriously interested in it. Gradually, but steadily, Russia's interest in Palmyra grew. The Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople equipped an expedition, the researchers took many photographs, drawings, diagrams, plans, topographic maps of the city. Based on these materials, Professor F. Uspensky later published a detailed work.

The colonnades of the legendary Palmyra towering in the desert still attract travelers who are surprised to discover two neighboring Palmyra - 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, poor people, began to settle. In 2003, the Syrian government issued a law to build a new Palmyra. The city began to improve, new streets were built, electricity was supplied. Hard-working residents laid here palm groves, orchards, orchards, plowed fields, raised cattle. By tradition, the Palmyrians are engaged in trade, weaving carpets, scarves, sewing national clothes and selling all this to tourists. New Palmyra does not compete with the ancient one, for it is itself a continuation of it.

Palmyra was originally founded as a settlement in an oasis in the northern Syrian desert called Tadmor. Although the Roman province of Syria was established in 64 BC, the population of Tadmor (predominantly Arameans and Arabs) remained semi-independent for more than half a century. They controlled the trade routes between the Mediterranean coast of Syria and the lands of the Parthians east of the Euphrates. Palmyra was located just 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 (AD 14-37), Tadmor was incorporated into the province of Syria, and renamed Palmyra, "city of palm trees." After the capture of the Nabataean kingdom by the Romans in 106, Palmyra became the most important political and commercial center in the Middle East, taking over the palm from Petra.

In 129, Emperor Hadrian granted Palmyra the status of a "free city", giving the inhabitants the right to free settlement and significant trading privileges. In 217, the 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 conspiracies. The ruler of Palmyra in 267 was the wife of the second son of Odaenathus, Zenobia, under whom the city reached its greatest prosperity. Zenobia was a very ambitious woman and even declared that she was descended from Cleopatra.

In 272, Emperor Aurelius captured Palmyra and brought Zenobia to Rome as his trophy. In 273, Palmyra was razed to the ground, and all the inhabitants were massacred as a result of an act of retribution for the revolt of the local population, during which about 600 Roman archers were killed in the city.

In the VI century. Emperor Justinian tried to rebuild the city and rebuilt defensive structures.
In 634 the city was captured by the Arabs.
The strongest earthquake in 1089 practically wiped Palmyra off the face of the earth.
In 1678, Palmyra was discovered by two English merchants who lived in the city of Aleppo in Syria.
Since 1924, archaeological excavations have been actively carried out in Palmyra, carried out by scientists from Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and since May 1959, Poland.
In 1980, the UNESCO organization included Palmyra in the list of sites with the status of "World Heritage".

The history of Palmyra - a fabulous city in the middle of the desert and a kind of "window from Europe to Asia" - through poetic metaphors turned out to be connected with another city on earth - St. Petersburg. In 1755 in Petersburg magazine "Monthly writings for the benefit and entertainment of employees" was published a brief retelling of the book about Palmyra, published in 1753 in London English travelers G. Dawkins and R. Wood. The text of this publication in Russian, especially the remark about the art of Palmyra, which reached its peak at a time when "the arts of Greece and Rome were already elevated to a high level of perfection", associated with the "Greek project" of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Empress Catherine II. So arose image"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 Byzantine emperor), which corresponded to the plans for the creation great empire in the Balkans. Palmyra, in the minds of the 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 kingdom between West and East.

The Islamist ISIS movement continues to wreak havoc in the Middle East. The magnificent ruins of a priceless historical heritage ancient rome in Syria and the Levant.

After destroying the treasures of the last surviving Babylonian cities of Nineveh, Hatra and Nimrud, ISIS is trying to destroy the architectural monuments of Palmyra in Syria.

Palmyra - the ancient city of Syria with a rich history

A Few Reasons Why Palmyra Is a Special Historical Site Listed world heritage UNESCO.

1. Palmyra was a major trading center of the Greco-Roman period

For several centuries, Fort Palmyra in Syria served as an important commercial point in the Middle East. The ancient city gained world fame when the Romans mastered the area.

A settlement in the middle of the desert, Palmyra had an ideal geographical location. The routes of merchants between the West and Parthia in the East passed through the city.
A huge number of caravans flocked to Palmyra, the markets were filled with a variety of goods: from spices to slaves, incense and Ivory. The taxes collected for stopping in the city went to the development and construction of Palmyra, as a result of which the city became incredibly wealthy.

2. The ruler of the ancient city of Palmyra was a woman

The ancient city was ruled by a woman for a long time. Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, became the most famous ruler of the Syrian city. Her fame reached Rome. She tried to oppose a powerful empire and expand the sphere of influence of civilization. As a result, the attempts were unsuccessful, but her name was sung for several more centuries.

Even her sworn enemy, the Roman emperor Aurelian, admitted in the Historia Augusta that the Queen of Palmyra was a worthy opponent.

When Aurelian demanded Xenovia's surrender, she replied that she would rather die like the one she considered her ancestor.

3. Palmyra: the history of the city and the attempts to conquer Mark Antony

The people of Palmyra were well aware of the news of Rome and the enemies of the empire - Parthia. Any state could invade the city.

In 41 BC , being in a relationship with Cleopatra, he decided to plunder the richest settlement on earth - Palmyra. He sent cavalry to plunder a city near Euraphat, located on the border between the Romans and the Parthians.

In fact, it is believed that Antony simply wanted to take revenge on Palmyra, who occupies a neutral position. Antony dreamed of showing off his booty to his friends. Residents took action to protect their lives. They moved the property across the river and were ready to fire on the attackers. Many of them were good archers.

As a result, Antony's army found nothing in the city and, having not met a single enemy, returned empty-handed, writes Appian.

Historical value of the ruins of Palmyra

The architectural monuments of the city have been perfectly preserved over the centuries. The ruins can tell a lot about the life of the inhabitants of the ancient settlement.

The sculptures of Palmyra are somewhat different in style from the Roman ones. The combination of burial reliefs on stone and the fusion with the culture of the Roman Empire led to the creation of especially beautiful bas-reliefs.

Among the wonders of the art of Palmyra of Emperor Hadrian, the temple of the goddess Allat, the temple of Baal-Shamin and the ruins of buildings where historical traces were left different nations ancient world.

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