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Hama
Also known as Hamah, Hamath, Epiphania, Epiphanea
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.
AI overview
Hama is a major Syrian city located in the west-central part of the country along the Orontes River, and with nearly a million residents it ranks among Syria's four largest cities. The city is notable for its traditional cheesemaking industry, which is reflected in its famous local dessert called Halawet el Jibn.
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Place details
- Locality
- حماة
- Region
- محافظة حماة
- Country
- سوريا
- Population
- 460,602
- Timezone
Travel guide
Get in
Hama is on the M5 motorway between Damascus and Aleppo.
See
Souq - which seems to have a lot of shoes for sale. Old town - you still see many of the destroyed buildings of the bombardment of the Hama massacre in 1982
Eat
Eat possibly the best felafel in the Middle East at Ali Babas near the Cairo Hotel. This small and simple restaurant is recommended by the guidebooks and consequently has a menu in English. There are numerous fast food and juice stands in the area around Ali Babas.
Al-Baroudi restaurant on Shoukri al-Quwatli is a good bet for barbequed chicken but be careful what you order. If you are not precise, they will bring a huge meal of half a chicken each plus three or four dips, bread, salad and a large plate of rice. While all the food is excellent, and perhaps just the ticket if you are starving, smaller meals are available for a proportionally smaller cost.
If you would like a quiet place to sit and have a tea, walk along al-Buhturi street and there you will find a couple European-style cafes selling pastries, ice cream and a wide selection of bread as well as serving all kinds of hot and cold drinks. They are quite popular with women.
Camel steaks!
Around Shari' al-Quwatli are many bakeries selling the famous Halawaat Al-Jibni, a refreshing sweet cheese treat. Give it a try if you haven't done so yet.
Stay safe
See the warning on the Syria article for information on the security situation.
Connect
Several internet cafes have sprung up around Hama. Space Net on Abual-Feda is near the Al-Nouri mosque while Happy Net is just one option near the Cairo and Riad hotels. Both hotels also offers internet access to its guests on a computer in the lobby. The cost is the same as the internet cafes, and the speed is quite good, despite the connection being a dial-up one.
A post office is right next to the clock tower in the city center.
Go next
Hama makes a great base for exploring a lot of the north-east of Syria
~25 min read
Article
28 sectionsContents
- History
- Neolithic
- Chalcolithic
- Bronze Age
- Mitanni period
- Hittite period
- Iron Age
- Assyrian inscriptions
- Destruction under Sargon II
- {{anchor|Hamath in the Bible}}Hamath in the Bible
- Persian, Hellenistic and Roman history
- Early Islamic period
- Middle Islamic period
- Ottoman rule
- Modern history
- Syrian civil war
- Climate
- Demographics
- Ecclesiastical status
- Neighborhoods
- Main sights
- Notable people
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.
The city is renowned for its seventeen norias, which are claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for irrigation, the norias are used purely for show today and function solely as a tourist attraction and a symbol of the city.