A Tale Of Four Cities

It is far too dangerous to visit four of the ancient worlds most splendid cities (Palmyra, Aleppo, Mosul and Leptis Magna) but Nicole Benazeth travels through time and space to see them in a state-of-the-art virtual exhibition at LInstitut du monde arabe in Paris.

- Nicole Benazeth

PALMYRA: pearl of the desert

An historic oasis in the Syrian desert, 210km north-east of Damascus in the present-day Homs Governorate, Palmyra is best known today because of the wide reporting of its almost total destruction by selfproclaimed Islamic State (ISIS).

The digital reconstruction of this outstanding Graeco-Roman site offers visitors the chance to discover aspects of its extraordinary beauty. Sited on the trade route linking Syria to Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean coast, Palmyra was first mentioned in documents in the early 2nd millennium BC. It was perfectly sited to be a rest-station for caravans crossing the desert. There, they could find shade in its extensive palm grove, fresh water, food stores and grazing for their animals. As a result of servicing these caravans, the Palmyrenes developed their own trading networks and established colonies along the Silk Road.

The rulership of Palmyra changed several times before it became a vassal state of the Roman Empire, in the 1st century AD, while still retaining its autonomy, similar to that of a Greek city-state.

It remained a prosperous trading hub from the 1st to the 3rd century AD, benefitting from the decline of the rival Nabatean city of Petra (in modern Jordan). The most important monuments were built during this period. Its distinctive architecture stems from a combination of local Semitic traditions and Graeco-Roman style. Its multicultural society included Amorites, Arameans and Arabs, speaking Aramaic, while the Greek language was used for business transactions. At its height, Palmyra had a population of 200,000. The city’s golden age ended when its Queen Zenobia (AD 240–74) rebelled against Rome, as a result of which Emperor Aurelian (AD 214–75) had the city destroyed in AD 273. And, although it was later partly rebuilt by Diocletian (AD 244–311) it never regained its former lustre.