CULTUREFOCUS: Syria photos. Pictures of ancient Palmyra, a dramatic desert city

Syria RUINS OF PALMYRA
Pictures of ancient Palmyra, a once-wealthy
desert city that defied Rome

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PALMYRA
'Bride of the Desert'

In the Syrian desert are the ruins of Palmyra, also known in ancient times as Tadmor. This once-prosperous city was driven to heroic deeds and to its ultimate downfall by the ambitious dreams of Queen Zenobia.

Sunrise behind columns at Palmyra, a proud city famed as the 'Bride of the Desert'.

Palmyra developed at the site of a desert oasis, and first flourished in the last centuries BCE as a staging post on trade routes across the Middle East. Under the Roman emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE), Palmyra eventually became part of the Roman province of Syria, but retained much of its autonomy. The importance and wealth of the city continued to grow as vital trade routes were extended as far as India and China.

Towering columns of Palmyra's main colonnaded street glow orange in the early morning sun.

The Monumental Arch was built in the early 3rd century CE.

The theater at Palmyra, built in the 1st or 2nd century CE, was one of the most magnificent in the Middle East.

The great age for Palmyra was in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. The downfall of the city began when its ruler Odaenathus was assassinated and his wife Zenobia (believed by many historians to have been responsible!) gained power. Conflict with Rome ensued after the audacious Zenobia rebelled and began expanding her power through the Middle East. The Roman emperor Aurelian finally captured Zenobia in 272 CE and paraded her through Rome in gold chains. Palmyra itself was taken by Aurelian the following year.