Palmyra تَدْمُر Tadmur | |
|---|---|
 The modern town of Palmyra | |
  Palmyra | |
| Coordinates:34°33′36″N38°16′2″E / 34.56000°N 38.26722°E /34.56000; 38.26722 | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Homs |
| District | Tadmur |
| Subdistrict | Tadmur |
| Control |  Syrian transitional government |
| Elevation | 405 m (1,329 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 51,323 |
| Demonym(s) | Arabic:تدمري,romanized: Tadmuri |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Area code | 31 |
| Geocode | C2889 |
Palmyra (/ˌpɑːl-maɪrə/;Arabic:تَدْمُر,romanized: Tadmur;Palmyrene:𐡶𐡣𐡬𐡥𐡴Tadmor) is a city in centralSyria, administratively part of theHoms Governorate. It is located in anoasis in the middle of theSyrian Desert 215 kilometres (134 mi) northeast ofDamascus[2] and 180 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of theEuphrates River. Theruins of ancient Palmyra, aUNESCO World Heritage Site, are situated about 500 metres (1⁄3 mile) southwest of the modern city centre.[3] Relatively isolated, the nearest localities includeArak to the east,Al-Sukhnah further to the northeast,Tiyas to the west andal-Qaryatayn to the southwest.
InArabic, both cities are known as 'Tadmur'. Tadmur is theSemitic and earliest attested native name of the city; it appeared in the first half of the second millennium BC.[4] The etymology of "Tadmur" is vague;Albert Schultens considered it to be derived from the Semitic word fordates ("Tamar"),[note 1][6] in reference to the palm trees that surround the city.[note 2][7] 13th century Syrian geographerYaqut al-Hamawi states Tadmur was the name of the daughter of one ofNoah's distant descendants and that she was buried in the city.[8]
InEnglish and other European languages, the ancient and modern cities are commonly known as "Palmyra". The name "Palmyra" appeared during the early first century AD,[4] in the works ofPliny the Elder,[9] and was used throughout theGreco-Roman world.[6] The general view holds that "Palmyra" is derived from "Tadmur" either as an alteration, which was supported by Schultens,[note 3][6] or as a translation using theGreek word for palm ("palame", παλάμη),[note 4][7] which is supported byJean Starcky.[4]Michael Patrick O'Connor argued for aHurrian origin of both "Palmyra" and "Tadmur",[4] citing the incapability of explaining the alterations to the theorized roots of both names, which are represented in the adding of a-d- to "Tamar" and a-ra- to "palame".[7] According to this theory, "Tadmur" is derived from the Hurrian word "tad", meaning "to love", + a typical Hurrianmid vowel rising (mVr)formant "mar".[11] "Palmyra" is derived from the word "pal", meaning "to know", + the same mVr formant "mar".[11]
There is aSyriac etymology for Tadmor, referring todmr "to wonder", andTedmurtā (Aramaic: ܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ) "Miracle"; thusTadmūra means "object of wonder", most recently affirmed byFranz Altheim and Ruth Altheim-Stiehl (1973), but rejected byJean Starcky (1960) and Michał Gawlikowski (1974).[12]
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In 1929,Henri Arnold Seyrig, the general director of antiquities in theFrench Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, started excavating the ruins of Palmyra and forcibly displaced the villagers to a government-built village, adjacent to the ancient site.[13] The relocation was completed in 1932,[14] making the ancient city of Palmyra ready for excavations,[13] while the residents settled in the new village of the same name.[15]
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In theOttoman period of early 1900s, Palmyra was a village of 6,000 inhabitants.[16]
On 13 May 2015, the militant terrorist organization theIslamic State (IS) launched an attack on the modern town, raising fears that theiconoclastic group would destroy the historic city.[17] On 18 May IS captured the city,[18] with their forces entering the area of theWorld Heritage Site several days later.[19]
In May 2015 IS destroyed the tomb of Mohammed bin Ali, a descendant of theIslamic prophetMuhammad's cousinAli, and a site revered byShia Muslims, and sometime between then and 23 June destroyed the tomb of Nizar Abu Bahaaeddine, aSufi scholar who lived in Palmyra in the 16th century. Abu Bahaaeddine's tomb was situated in an oasis about 500 metres (1,600 ft; 550 yd) from Palmyra's main ancient ruins. Mohammed bin Ali's tomb was located in a mountainous region 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of Palmyra. Ten days prior to the tombs' destruction, ISIL destroyed a number of tombstones at a local cemetery for Palmyra's residents. IS is also reported to have placed explosives around Palmyra.[20][21][22] They also destroyed theTemple of Baalshamin in mid 2015.[23]
In March 2016 alarge-scale offensive by the SAA (supported by Hezbollah and Russian airstrikes) initially regained the areas south and west of the city. After capturing the orchards and the area north of the city, the assault on the city began. In the early morning hours of the 27th of March 2016, the Syrian military forces regained full control over the city.[24][25][26][27] In December 2016, ISretook the oilfields outside of the city, and began moving back into the city center.[28]
On 1 March 2017, the Syrian army backed by warplanes, hadentered Palmyra and captured the western and northern western sections of the city amid information about pulling back by IS from the city.[29] The next day, the Syrian Army recaptured the entire city of Palmyra, after IS fully withdrew from the city.[30]
On 19 April 2021, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that it had killed "up to 200 fighters", by targeting a "terrorist" base northeast of Palmyra.[31]
Palmyra is the administrative centre of theTadmur District and the Tadmur Subdistrict. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the city had a population of 51,323 and the subdistrict a population of 55,062 in the 2004 census.[1] Tadmur's inhabitants were recorded to be predominantlySunni Muslims in 1838.[32] It has a smallChristian community. The city has aSyriac Catholic Church, which is the only church in the city.[33][34] During theSyrian Civil War, the city's population significantly increased due to the influx of internally displacedrefugees from other parts of the country.[35]
Palmyra is a modern resettlement of the ancient city ofPalmyra, which developed adjacently to the north of the ancient ruins.[36] The modern city is built along a grid pattern. Quwatli Street is the main road and runs east-west, starting from the Saahat al-Ra'is Square on the western edge of the town.[3] The city served as a base for tourists visiting the ruins.[36] It has a museum in the southwestern part of the city.[3] Syria holds an annual cultural festival in Tadmur celebrating the city's ancient heritage.[37] ThePalmyra Airport is located here. The city is also home to theTadmur Prison, which has historically held numerous opponents of the various Syrian governments.[35]
Palmyra also serves as a center for Syria'sphosphate mining andnatural gas industries.[36] The first phosphate mine run by the government was established near Tadmur and started production in 1971.[38] Work to connect Tadmur's phosphate mines to the port ofTartus began in 1978.[39] In 1986 Soviet surveyors discovered largeiron ore deposits in the vicinity of Tadmur.[40]
| Climate data for Palmyra (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1928–2016) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 36.0 (96.8) | 38.8 (101.8) | 42.4 (108.3) | 45.3 (113.5) | 48.3 (118.9) | 47.0 (116.6) | 43.6 (110.5) | 38.5 (101.3) | 31.2 (88.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 48.3 (118.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.6 (67.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 36.1 (97.0) | 38.8 (101.8) | 38.7 (101.7) | 34.7 (94.5) | 28.5 (83.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 26.2 (79.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.5 (56.3) | 19.0 (66.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 28.4 (83.1) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.7 (87.3) | 27.3 (81.1) | 21.9 (71.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 9.0 (48.2) | 19.7 (67.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | 7.3 (45.1) | 12.2 (54.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 20.6 (69.1) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.9 (67.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 4.0 (39.2) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.4 (13.3) | −7.6 (18.3) | −6.7 (19.9) | −1.0 (30.2) | 4.0 (39.2) | 12.2 (54.0) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.9 (58.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | −6.1 (21.0) | −8.5 (16.7) | −10.4 (13.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 20.6 (0.81) | 19.9 (0.78) | 21.1 (0.83) | 20.8 (0.82) | 6.9 (0.27) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 10.8 (0.43) | 14.2 (0.56) | 21.1 (0.83) | 135.7 (5.34) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 24.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 73 | 64 | 54 | 33 | 39 | 34 | 37 | 39 | 42 | 45 | 56 | 72 | 49 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 164.3 | 184.8 | 229.4 | 258.0 | 319.3 | 363.0 | 381.3 | 362.7 | 297.0 | 263.5 | 213.0 | 164.3 | 3,200.6 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 5.3 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 7.1 | 5.3 | 8.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA (precipitation and sun 1961–1990)[41] Meteostat[42] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1956–1978),[43] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[44] | |||||||||||||
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