Highlights of Palmyra

by Anthony Horrobin - 29 July 2010

Colonnaded Street (Decumanus)

The Decumanus, the cities main axis runs from the Arab Castle in northwest to the Temple of Ba’al in the southeast, around 1.2km. The oldest parts of the street date back to the first half of the 2nd century and it was purposely never paved in order to make it easier for camels to use. The width of the street was an impressive 23m and was lined with porticos on both sides where shop stalls would have been set up.
In recent years the Syrian Department for Antiquities have re-erected many of the fallen Corinthian columns, many of these stand 31ft tall and measure a full metre in diameter.

Theatre

The Roman Theatre in Palmyra was first cleared of sand in 1952 and was the subject of extensive restoration works in the early 1990’s. The Theatre is thought to date back to either the 1st or 2nd century AD. The stage building is one of the most elaborate seen from the Roman era and it has 5 doorways rather than the usual 3. Despite the size and importance of Palmyra during that time it is surprising that the theatre has such a small capacity, having only 13 rows. Other theatres found in Apamea and Bosra are much larger leading experts to believe that the upper rows of the Palmyran theatre may never have been completed.
Recent years have seen life begin to seep back into the theatre with an annual calendar of events now taking place such as the Annual Silk Route Festival and the Palmyra Festival. During these festivals it’s a very exciting time for foreigners to visit Palmyra as they are encouraged to join in the festivities.

Temple of Ba’al

In addition to being one of the most prominent buildings in Palmyra, the Temple of Ba’al is also regarded as one the most significant religious buildings of the 1st century AD. The life of the temple began as a Hellenistic Temple of which very little remains today. The Cella (central shrine) was added at the beginning of the 1st Century AD and the Colonnaded Portico followed shortly after. The temple was dedicated to the Canaanite Deity Ba’al Shamin who was responsible for rainfall and therefore fertility. The architecture of the temple is surely Roman yet one may also notice influences from the Orient and Egypt.
In the 5th century the temple was converted to a Church by Male Agrippa who was a wealthy Palmyrene citizen who also financed Hadrian’s in 129 AD.