William of Tyre, Historia, 7.12, 21.6), although they never ruled the city. The city was subsequently referred to as Χέμψ ( Khémps) in Medieval Greek, and as " la Chamelle" (literally meaning "the female camel" in French but likely a corruption of the Arabic name according to René Dussaud ) by the Crusaders (e.g. Thus, the name collectively means "The fortress surrounding" which refers to the Citadel of Homs and the encircling plains. Other sources claim that the name Émesa or Hémesa was derived from that of the Aramean city of Hamath-zobah, a combination of Hamath ( Hebrew: חֲמָת, romanized: Ḥamāth Syriac: ܚܡܬ, romanized: Ḥmṭ "fortress") and Sawbah (Hebrew: צובָא Syriac: ܨܘܒܐ Ṣwba "nearness"). Émesa was shortened to Homs or Hims by its Arab inhabitants, many of whom settled there prior to the Muslim conquest of Syria. Most sources claim that the name Emesa in turn derived from the name of the nomadic Arab tribe known in Greek as Emesenoi, who inhabited the region prior to Roman influence in the area. The origin of the city's modern name is that it is an Arabic form of the city's Latin name Emesus, derived from the Greek Émesa or Émesos, or Hémesa. During the Syrian civil war, much of the city was devastated due to the Siege of Homs reconstruction to affected parts of the city is underway with major reconstruction beginning in 2018. During French Mandate rule, the city became a center of insurrection and, after independence in 1946, a center of Baathist resistance to the first Syrian governments. Homs began to decline under the Ottomans and only in the 19th century did the city regain its economic importance when its cotton industry boomed. Throughout the Islamic era, Muslim dynasties contending for control of Syria sought after Homs due to the city's strategic position in the area. Homs was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and made capital of a district that bore its current name. Originally a center of worship for the sun god El-Gabal, it later gained importance in Christianity under the Byzantines. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Emesene dynasty who gave the city its name. Homs did not emerge into the historical record until the 1st century BC at the time of the Seleucids. There are a number of historic mosques and churches in the city, and it is close to the Krak des Chevaliers castle, a World Heritage Site. Its population reflected Syria's general religious diversity, composed of Sunni and Alawite Muslims, and Christians. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is also the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast.īefore the Syrian Civil War, Homs was a major industrial centre, and with a population of at least 652,609 people in 2004, it was the third-largest city in Syria after Aleppo to the north and the capital Damascus to the south. It is 501 metres (1,644 ft) above sea level and is located 162 kilometres (101 mi) north of Damascus. The user should tab to review the files in this section.Ĭlose this window to return to the application.Homs ( UK: / h ɒ m s/ HOMSS, US: / h ɔː m s, h ɔː m z, h ʊ m s/ HAWMSS, HAWMZ, HUUMSS Arabic: حِمْص / ALA-LC: Ḥimṣ Levantine Arabic: حُمْص / Ḥomṣ ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( / ˈ ɛ m ə s ə/ EM-ə-sə Ancient Greek: Ἔμεσα, romanized: Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate.
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