हमा

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.