Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
about 22 hours ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
2 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
3 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Syria Palmyra Palmyra

Palmyra

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

Palmyra, Syria

Added By
heatherdoodle
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_o...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_o...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PalmyraA...
Panorama of Palmyra in the early morning   wikipedia
Inscription of Queen Zenobia at Palmyra   wikipedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Led by Queen Zenobia, a third-century ruler who was later taken to Rome and paraded through the streets in golden chains, Palmyra was a rich city on the Silk Road, a gateway to the West for travelers returning from the Orient. Under Zenobia's rule, Palmyra actually took territory from the Romans–and the short-lived Palmyrene Empire stretched from Turkey down to Egypt.

The empire lasted for thirteen years, and then Aurelian decided to take it back. He defeated the Palmyrenes and took Zenobia back to Rome, where she was accepted into society and eventually became a lively and much-admired Roman matron.

In 1980, it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

For most of the past few years, Palmyra was a small town with a large and lush oasis next to it; the ruins of the old city covered the plain for a good square mile. Beautiful Romanesque columns carved from the local golden sandstone marched down long avenues; in the early morning and early evening, the brilliantly blue sky contrasted strikingly with the warm tones of the stone and the long, deep shadows. It was an extraordinary place to visit, a reminder of a mysterious lost empire, worthy of pulp novels.

Unfortunately, in May of 2015 the area fell under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Daesh), and its temples, monuments, and other buildings were subsequently blown up, razed, or otherwise destroyed. How much of it will remain after the conflict remains unknown.

Related Tags

Lost Tribes Ruins

Know Before You Go

Inaccessible due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War

Community Contributors

Added By

heatherdoodle

Edited By

racheldoyle, AAlcazar

  • racheldoyle
  • AAlcazar

Published

September 17, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://news.artnet.com/art-world/syria-isis-palmyra-restoration-1338257
  • Personal Travel
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra#Ancient
  • http://www.theguardian.com/science/ng-interactive/2015/oct/05/palmyra-what-the-world-has-lost
  • http://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/an-open-source-project-to-rebuild-palmyra_o
Palmyra
Palmyra
Syria
34.551133, 38.30246
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi

An-Nabk District, Syria

miles away

Norias of Hama

Hama, Syria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Syria

Syria

Middle East

Places 15
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi

An-Nabk District, Syria

miles away

Norias of Hama

Hama, Syria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Syria

Syria

Middle East

Places 15
Stories 6

Related Stories and Lists

The Insouciant Heiress Who Became the First Western Woman to Enter Palmyra

antiquities

By Ailsa Ross

Fleeting Wonders: The Destruction of Palmyra's Arch of Triumph

architecture

By Eric Grundhauser

Related Places

  • For more than 30 years, the former town of Potosi resided underwater after it was flooded by the building of a dam

    Uribante, Venezuela

    The Drowned Church of Potosi

    A town church once nearly submerged by the damming of a river is now hauntingly visible as the water recedes.

  • View from the Temple of the Cross

    Palenque, Mexico

    Palenque

    An elaborate Mayan city shrouded in alien conspiracy revealed the tomb of Pacal the Great.

  • Neupfarrplatz

    Regensburg, Germany

    Document Neupfarrplatz

    From Ancient Rome to WWII, Neupfarrplatz has over 2,000 years of history underneath its main square.

  • Brazil

    Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara

    Site full of incredible prehistoric paintings and archeological findings.

  • This pillar is the only piece of evidence suggesting a Mayan Doomsday prediction.

    Villahermosa, Mexico

    Mayan 2012 Prophecy Carvings

    This singular broken monument, now housed in a museum, was the cause of a worldwide "Mayan Doomsday" phenomenon.

  • Machu Picchu.

    Aguas Calientes, Peru

    Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

    The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.

  • Cahuachi

    Nazca, Peru

    Cahuachi

    Nazca pilgrimage site covering 370 acres is a popular stop for archeologists and looters.

  • Skara Brae is on the west coast of Scotland.

    Sandwick, Scotland

    Skara Brae

    Amazing and mysterious Neolithic settlement on Scotland's Orkney Islands.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.