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121-682: The origins of the Azm family are relatively obscure and evidence has been described as "contradictory and generally unsatisfactory." One of the most prominent families in Ottoman Syria, the Al-Azm's may have originated from the region of Konya in Anatolia ; hence, their roots in Turkey may shed light on recruitment and career patterns of the family members who held high positions as Ottoman officers in

242-502: A iqtâ' , but reclaimed it five years later following Shirkuh's death. The latter's nephew, Saladin , occupied Homs in early December 1174, but the garrison at the citadel resisted. He later departed for Aleppo, and left a small army in Homs' lower town. The defenders of the citadel offered to set their Christian prisoners free, if Raymond III, Count of Tripoli provided military assistance for them. William of Tyre later emphasized that

363-549: A Sunni Muslim reaction led by the Saljuqid Turks , who occupied Homs under the leadership of Aq Sunqur al-Hajib in 1090. The First Crusade was launched in 1096, and in 1098, the Crusaders captured Antioch to the northwest, looted Ma'arrat al-Nu'man , and finally besieged Homs itself. Although they managed to cut the city off from its main port Tartus , they failed in taking the city. Soon after, Homs came under

484-590: A "very strong place" of the Arab Sampsigeramos and of his son Iamblikhos, "phylarchs" of the Emesene, who had allied themselves to Q. Caecilius Bassus against Caesar in 47 BC; the translators above cited have thought strange Strabo's not saying a word about Emesa. Claims have been made that Emesa was founded by Seleucus I Nicator who established the Seleucid Empire upon the death of Alexander

605-531: A Beduin tribe." On the other hand, Dr Abdul Karim Rafeq "opts for the local-origin theory without committing himself to the beduin part." In response to primary sources stating "that Sadeddin [Pasha al-Azm] was "un autre pacha arabe de nation"; and that Mehmed [Pasha al-Azm] was of an Arab family... [and] that the 'Azms were "Arabs" (awlad al-'Arab) from the Arab lands (al-bilad al-'Arabiyya)," Dr Rafeq advocates for treating these statements with great caution, especially

726-535: A Metropolitan Municipality. Home to several industrial parks. The city ranks among the Anatolian Tigers . In 2012 exports from Konya reached 130 countries. A number of Turkish industrial conglomerates, such as Bera (ex Kombassan) Holding, have their headquarters in Konya. While agriculture-based industries play a role, the city's economy has evolved into a center for the manufacturing of components for

847-537: A boundary with the territory of Epiphania . The kingdom of Sampsiceramus I , was the first of Rome's Arab clients on the desert fringes. The city of Emesa grew to prominence after the new-found wealth of the Emesene dynasty, governed first by one of the sons of Sampsiceramus I, Iamblichus I who made it the kingdom's capital. The Emesene proved their loyalty to Rome once more when they aided Gaius Julius Caesar in his siege of Alexandria in 48 BC, by sending him army detachments. Subsequently, they became embroiled in

968-639: A building boom to Damascus where dozens of baths , khans , schools and souqs were built, many of which still remain today. Most famous of them are the Azm Palace in Damascus, and the Azm Palace in Hama, both of which were built by As'ad Pasha al-Azm as palatial residences. Last names were not used during the Ottoman era. Family members were using the name Azmzade in the nineteenth century, in reference to

1089-547: A century until 1262 with the death of al-Ashraf Musa . In 1225, Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi mentioned that Homs was large, celebrated and walled, having a strongly fortified castle on its southern hill. Towards the end of Ayyubid rule, Homs remained a centrepiece of the wars between them and the Crusaders, as well as internecine conflicts with the Mongol Empire and the Mamluks . The First Battle of Homs between

1210-493: A decline of European textile production. The quality and design of cotton goods from Homs satisfied both the lower and upper classes of the local, Ottoman, and foreign markets. There were around 5,000 looms in Homs and nearby Hama , and one British consul referred to Homs as the " Manchester of Syria". Throughout the 20th century Homs held high political importance in the country and was home to several heads of state and other high-ranking government officials. In October 1918, it

1331-684: A district of the province of Bilad al-Sham , encompassing the towns of Latakia , Jableh , and Tartus along the coast, Palmyra in the Syrian Desert and the territory in between, including the town of Hama . Homs was likely the first city in Syria to have a substantial Muslim population. In 638, Heraclius sought help from the Christian Arab tribes in Upper Mesopotamia , mainly from Circesium and Hīt , and they mustered

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1452-562: A girls' school. In 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey , the Greeks of the nearby village of Sille were forced to leave as refugees and resettle in Greece . The first local administration in Konya was founded in 1830 and converted into a municipality in 1876. In March 1989, the municipality became a Metropolitan Municipality. As of that date, Konya had three central district municipalities (Meram, Selçuklu, Karatay) and

1573-583: A large army and besieged Emesa . However, the siege was a failure, as the coalition forces lost heart and abandoned the city as at the time Iyad ibn Ghanm invaded their homeland in an effort to counter their act. The Muslims transformed half of St. John's Church into the city's Friday mosque ( Great Mosque of al-Nuri ) and Homs soon became a centre of Islamic piety since some 500 companions of Muhammad ( Arabic : اَلصَّحَابَةُ , romanized :  al-ṣaḥāba ) settled there after its conquest. The tombs of Khalid ibn al-Walid, his son Abd al-Rahman , and

1694-476: A man called "'Amr bin al-Rawas" who conciled with him offering precious gifts to save the city. Later in the 15th century as Mamluk weakness had brought insecurity to the countryside, Homs was ravaged by Bedouin raids; In 1510 a powerful tribe led by al-Fadl bin Nu'ayr was sent on an expedition by the governor of Damascus to loot the city markets as Homs had failed to pay compensation for his "services". In 1516, Homs

1815-501: A member of the family, Professor Sadiq Jalal al-Azm , the introductory author, Jean-Pierre Rondas , describes Al-Azm as: ...in fact of 'Ottoman' and Turkish descent. His family belonged to the Ottoman ruling class in Damascus; its power dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries... The Turkish family al-Azm continued to stay in Damascus [...] under French mandate. A member of the family, Khalid bey al-Azm , even became prime minister. The family's political influence lasted until 1963, when

1936-744: A newly established kingdom. Following the fall of the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate in 1307, Konya became the capital of the Karamanids , a Turkish beylik , which lasted until 1322 when the city was captured by the neighbouring Beylik of Karamanoğlu . In 1420, the Beylik of Karamanoğlu fell to the Ottoman Empire and, in 1453, Konya was made the provincial capital of the Karaman Eyalet . Under Ottoman rule, Konya

2057-484: A range of destinations, including Istanbul , Ankara and İzmir . It is connected to the town centre by a tram. The Konya Tram network is 41 km (25 mi) long and has two lines with 41 stations. Opened in 1992, it was expanded in 1996 and 2015. The Konya Tram uses Škoda 28 T vehicles. Work began on building a Konya Metro in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024 and will have 22 stations. Konya also has an extensive inner-city bus network. Konya

2178-647: A rebellion by the Banu Kalb. In 750, the Abbasid Caliphate wrested control of Syria, including Homs, from the Umayyads, and the Arab tribes revolted. Despite the prosperity Homs experienced during this era, Abbasid rule was generally not welcomed nevertheless. During and after the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid (796–809), the Abbasid authorities sent numerous punitive expeditions against Homs. Under

2299-603: A revocation by Macrinus of the privileges given by Caracalla and a reestablishment of those by Elagabalus. Elagabalus served as the high priest at the Temple of El-Gebal , the local Arab sun god. He brought the image of this god, a conical black stone ( Baetyl ), to the Elagabalium in Rome. Emesa also grew wealthy because it formed a link in the eastern trade funnelled through Palmyra ; however, this dependence also caused

2420-465: A simple tribe, governed by its sheikhs, and still devoid of a real urban existence; according to Maamoun Abdulkarim, occupation of the citadel's tell does not confirm the existence of a real urban center in the plain before the Roman period and recent excavations have refuted the existence of vestiges preceding the Roman period under the actual town's outline, and the existence of an Arab Emesene dynasty in

2541-531: A source of drinking water for the inhabitants. It was one of the largest cities in Syria and had several smaller districts surrounding it. In 944 the Hamdanids took definitive control of the city, dominating it until 1016. Arab geographer al-Mas'udi claimed in the early 10th century that Homs was "noted for the personal beauty of its inhabitants." In 985, al-Maqdisi noted that Homs was the largest city in all of Syria, but it had suffered "great misfortunes" and

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2662-498: A traditional rice dish made from meat and assorted vegetables. Konya is also known for its sweets, including cezerye , an old Turkish sweet made from carrots, and pişmaniye , which is similar to American cotton candy. The city's football team Konyaspor is part of the Turkish Professional Football League . On May 31, 2017, they won their first national trophy, beating İstanbul Başakşehir to

2783-551: A variety of different last names which were selected following the promulgation of a 1934 law which made last names mandatory and banned the use to references of nobility. It is not clear whether some use the surname Kemikoğlu, literally meaning "the son the bone". Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey , on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau , and is the capital of Konya Province . During antiquity and into Seljuk times it

2904-477: Is twinned with: General Homs 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 [ħɪmsˤ] ; Levantine Arabic : حُمْص / Ḥomṣ [ħɔmsˤ] ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( / ˈ ɛ m ə s ə / EM -ə-sə ; Ancient Greek : Ἔμεσα , romanized :  Émesa ),

3025-681: Is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate . It is 501 metres (1,644 ft) above sea level and is located 162 kilometres (101 mi) north of Damascus . Located on the Orontes River , Homs is also the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast. Before the Syrian civil war , Homs was a major industrial centre, and with a population of at least 652,609 people in 2004, it

3146-559: Is bordered by Al-Bayadah and Deir Baalbah , while the more modern neighbourhoods of al-Sabil, al-Zahra Jub al-Jandali and Armenian quarter are situated to the east of the Old City. South of it are the neighbourhoods of Bab al-Sebaa, al-Mreijeh, al-Adawiyya, al-Nezha, Akrama and beyond them lay the Karm al-Loz, Karm al-Zaytoun, Wadi al-Dhahab, al-Shamas, Masaken al-Idikhar and Dahia al-Walid neighbourhoods. The modern commercial centre lies to

3267-625: Is connected to Ankara , Eskişehir , Istanbul and Karaman via the high-speed railway services of the Turkish State Railways . Konya Airport (KYA) is a public airport but also a military airbase used by NATO . The Third Air Wing of the 1st Air Force Command is based at the Konya Air Base . The wing controls the four Boeing 737 AEW&C Peace Eagle aircraft of the Turkish Air Force . Konya

3388-574: Is easy, and their manners are agreeable. The women are beautiful and are celebrated for their fine skin." A series of earthquakes in 1157 inflicted heavy damage upon Homs and its fortress, then in 1170, a minor quake finished off the latter. However, because of its strategic importance, being opposite of the Crusader County of Tripoli , the city and its fortifications were soon restored. In 1164, Nur al-Din awarded Homs to Asad ad-Din Shirkuh as

3509-688: Is in the southern part of the Central Anatolia Region with the southernmost side of the province hemmed in by the Taurus Mountains . Konya has a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) under the Köppen classification and a temperate continental ( Dc ) climate under the Trewartha classification. Summer daytime temperatures average 30 °C (86 °F), although summer nights are cool. The highest temperature recorded in Konya

3630-542: Is made up primarily of Sunni Muslims (including Arabs , Kurds , and Turkmen ), with minorities of Alawites , Eastern Orthodox Christians and Assyrians . In addition to Catholics, Evangelists and Maronites. In the 1880s, the Survey of Western Palestine noted that there were 5,500 Greek Orthodox Christians and 1,500 Syriac Orthodox Christians. The Syriac Patriarchate was transferred to Homs from Mardin in 1933, but relocated once more to Damascus in 1959. According to

3751-603: Is no doubt, however, that to eighteenth century local annalists and European observers the ‘Aẓms were known as a family of Arab (Bedouin) origin... It may very well be that the latter view [being of Turkish stock] is a mistaken conclusion based on the family's long residence in the province of Konya. However, "there is no proof that the Azms themselves claimed to be of bedouin origin". The controversy can be understood in light of statements made by Dr. Shamir Shimon and Dr. Abdul Karim Rafeq. Dr. Shimon Shamir states that "although none of

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3872-547: Is regarded as Luwian in origin. During classical antiquity and the medieval period it was known as Ἰκόνιον ( Ikónion ) in Greek (with regular Medieval Greek apheresis [Kónio(n)] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |script= ( help ) ) and as Iconium in Latin . A folk etymology holds that the name Ikónion was derived from εἰκών (' icon '), referring to an ancient Greek legend according to which

3993-466: The 1914 Ottoman population statistics , the district of Homs had a total population of 80.691, consisting of 67.587 Muslims, 10.246 Orthodox Greeks , 1.327 Catholic Greeks , 774 Assyrians , 751 Latins and 6 Protestants . During the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century, about 20,000 Armenians immigrated to Homs and the surrounding villages. A small Greek community also still exists in

4114-697: The Battle of Iconium (1190) . The area was reoccupied by the Turks after the Crusaders left. Konya reached the height of its wealth and influence in the second half of the 12th century when the Seljuk sultans of Rum also subdued the Anatolian beyliks to their east, especially that of the Danishmends , thus establishing their rule over virtually all of eastern Anatolia ,. They also acquired several port towns along

4235-640: The Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and the Norman mercenary leader Roussel de Bailleul rose in revolt at Iconium. The city was finally conquered by the Seljuks in 1084. Iconium became the second capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum after the fall of Nicaea until 1243. It was briefly occupied by the army of the First Crusade (August 1097) and Frederick Barbarossa (May 18, 1190) after

4356-840: The Bekaa Valley in the west to the border with Palmyra in the east, and from Yabrud in the south to al-Rastan (Arethusa) in the north. A marker at the Palmyrene 's southwestern border was found in 1936 by Daniel Schlumberger at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi , dating from the reign of Hadrian or one of his successors, which marked the boundary between Palmyrene and Emesene ( Pliny the Elder asserted that both territories were contiguous); this boundary probably ran northwards to Khirbet al-Bilaas on Jabal al-Bilas where another marker, laid by Roman governor Silanus , has been found, 75 kilometres (47 mi) northwest of Palmyra, probably marking

4477-494: The Central Anatolia Region , after Ankara . Konya is served by TCDD high-speed train ( YHT ) services from Istanbul , Ankara and Karaman . The local airport ( Konya Havalimanı , KYA) is served by frequent flights from Istanbul whereas flights to and from İzmir are offered few times a week. Konya is believed to correspond to the Late Bronze Age toponym Ikkuwaniya known from Hittite records. This placename

4598-489: The Hajj caravan from departing on time. His brother became the wali of Tripoli, and his son became the wali of Sidon. In 1730 when Sultam Ahmed III was deposed they were all dismissed, but not for long. Sulayman Pasha al-Azm , brother of Ismail Pasha, became wali of Damascus between 1733 and 1738 and again from 1741 until his death in 1743. He was succeeded by his nephew As'ad Pasha al-Azm who reigned between 1743 and 1757, and

4719-576: The Mediterranean (including Alanya ) and the Black Sea (including Sinop ) and even gained a brief foothold in Sudak , Crimea . This golden age lasted until the first decades of the 13th century. Many Persians and Persianised Turks from Persia and Central Asia migrated to Anatolian cities either to flee the invading Mongols or to benefit from the opportunities for educated Muslims in

4840-675: The Persian Empire , until Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Alexander's empire broke up shortly after his death and the town came under the rule of Seleucus I Nicator . During the Hellenistic period the town was ruled by the kings of Pergamon . As Attalus III , the last king of Pergamon, was about to die without an heir, he bequeathed his kingdom to the Roman Republic . Once incorporated into

4961-480: The Renaissance and were draped over furniture to show off the wealth and status of their owners. They often crop up in contemporary oil paintings as symbols of the wealth of the painter's clients. One of the city's best-known dishes, etli ekmek consists of slices of lamb served on flaps of soft white bread. Konya is also known for unfeasibly long pides (Turkish pizzas) intended to be shared, and tirit ,

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5082-484: The Roman Civil War between the rebelling Mark Antony and the pro-Caesar Octavian . Iamblichus I took the side of Octavian, and so upon encouragement from Antony, Iamblichus's brother Alexander usurped the throne and put Iamblichus I to death in 31 BCE. Octavian's forces prevailed in the war, however, and as a result the kingdom's throne was reverted to Iamblichus II (the son of Iamblichus I) after Alexander

5203-491: The Roman Empire , under emperor Claudius , the city's name was changed to Claudiconium. During the reign of emperor Hadrianus it was known as Colonia Aelia Hadriana. Paul and Silas probably visited Konya during Paul's Second Missionary Journey in about AD 50, as well as near the beginning of his Third Missionary Journey several years later. According to the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla , Iconium

5324-534: The Seljuk Turks conquered the area and began ruling over its Rûm ( Byzantine Greek ) inhabitants, making Konya the capital of their new Sultanate of Rum . Under the Seljuks, the city reached the height of its wealth and influence. Following their demise, Konya came under the rule of the Karamanids , before being taken over by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. After the Turkish War of Independence

5445-545: The Syrian Army , many of them taking part in the series of coup d'états that were to follow. An important example was Hafez al-Assad who became the president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000. An oil pipeline between Tripoli and Kirkuk was built in Homs in the early 1930s and it followed an ancient caravan route between Palmyra and the Mediterranean. In 1959, an oil refinery was built to process some of this oil for domestic consumption. The city's oil refinery

5566-651: The Türkiye Kupası in a penalty shootout. They repeated this success on August 6, 2017, defeating Beşiktaş to win the Türkiye Süper Kupası (Turkish Super Bowl). Konya Metropolitan Stadium (Konya Büyükşehir Stadyumu) is in the Selçuklu neighbourhood and can seat up to 42,000 spectators. The city hosted the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games in August 2022. Founded in 1975, Selçuk University had

5687-495: The 1981 census, the population stood at 346,871, rising to 540,133 in 1994. According to the 2004 census by Syria's Central Bureau of Statistics , Homs had a population of 652,609 of which 51.5% were male and 48.5% female. In an independent 2005 estimate the city had 750,000 residents, and as of 2008 the population was estimated at about 823,000. Homs Governorate had an estimated 1,767,000 people in 2011. Today, Homs' population reflects Syria's general religious diversity, and

5808-688: The 1st century BC at the time of the Seleucids . It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Emesene dynasty who gave the city its name. Originally a center of worship for the sun god El-Gabal , it later gained importance in Christianity under the Byzantines . Homs was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and made capital of a district that bore its current name. Throughout

5929-402: The Azm clan with the zade being an addition indicating nobility. The Latin inscription of the name translated from Arabic script has evolved over time and is now written in different ways. Some family members have the family name Azme, Aladem, Alazm, Aladam, Alzm or some other surnames, although they all belong to the same family. In addition, some members of the family that remained in Turkey have

6050-598: The Crusaders and the Mongols from the entirety of Syria. At the beginning of the 14th century, the city was merely the capital of the smallest province of Syria and was often attached to the province of Damascus. Ibn Batuta visited Homs in 1355, writing that it had fine trees, good markets, and a "fine Friday Mosque", noting that all of its inhabitants were Arabs. Timur seized the city in 1400. Nevertheless, he did not sack it as he did in Aleppo, Hama and later Damascus, due to

6171-409: The Great . However, according to Henri Seyrig , Emesa does not seem to have received any Greek colony and the authors' complete silence makes one think that it did not increase its visibility under the Seleucid kings. According to Henri Seyrig, it even seems that Posidonius , to whom Strabo probably referred concerning the Emesenes' phylarchs' alliance with Q. Caecilius Bassus, regarded the Emesenes as

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6292-423: The Islamic era, Muslim dynasties contending for control of Syria sought after Homs due to the city's strategic position in the area. 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. During French Mandate rule, the city became a center of insurrection and, after independence in 1946, a center of Baathist resistance to

6413-479: The Market), Bab Tadmur (Gate of Palmyra ), Bab al-Dreib (or Bab al-Deir), Bab al-Sebaa (Gate of the Lions), Bab al-Turkman (Gate of the Turkmen ), Bab al-Masdoud (Closed Door), and Bab Hud (The Gate of Hud ). Only two gates—Bab Tadmor and Bab al-Dreib—remain today. The oldest of Homs' mosques and churches are located in the Old City. Homs consists of several subdivisions outside the Old City. The large neighbourhood of Khaldiyah spreads along its northern edge which

6534-431: The Mongols and the Mamluks took place on 10 December 1260, ending in a decisive Mamluk victory. The Second Battle of Homs was fought on 29 October 1281, also ending in a Mamluk victory. The Mamluks were finally defeated in the Battle of Wadi al-Khaznadar , also known as the "Third Battle of Homs", in 1299. Homs declined politically after falling to the Mamluks under Baibars because their campaigns effectively drove out

6655-428: The Ottomans brought administrative changes to Homs, as it became the capital city of sanjak ("district") of Homs , attached to the eyalet ("province") of Tripoli —its old rival. In the late 16th century the district was ruled by emir 'Ali Harfush of the famous Shiite Harfush dynasty of the nearby Beqaa valley . Later, a French visitor noted that the city walls and citadel were in good repair, but all within

6776-411: The Ottomans. During the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1922) Konya was a major air base . In 1922, the air force, renamed as the Inspectorate of Air Forces, was headquartered in Konya. Before 1923, 4,000 Orthodox, Turkish-speaking and Greek-speaking Christians lived there. The Greek community numbered approximately 2,500 people who maintained, at their own expense, a church, a boys' school and

6897-399: The Roman Orient. This was partly due to the marriage of Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus to a woman from a family of notables based in Emesa. According to a text of Ulpian ( Digest 50.15.1.4) and another one of Paul ( Digest 50.15.8.6), Caracalla and Elagabalus each promoted Emesa to the rank of a colonia and granted ius Italicum to it; Eugène Albertini has hypothesized about

7018-498: The Syrian provinces. The Al-Azm's began to emerge as a major influence in the region when Ibrahim al-'Azm, "a rural notable possibly of Turkish stock", went to Ma'arrat al-Nu'man to restore order in the mid-seventeenth century. Upon his death, Ibrahim al-'Azm's sons, Ismail Pasha al-Azm and Sulayman Pasha al-Azm , completed their father's task and were rewarded by the Ottoman administration with hereditary tax farms in Homs , Hama and Ma'arrat al-Nu'man. In an article written by

7139-435: The al-Azm family reconciled itself to power centres outside the family. Consequently, two members of its family, Layla bint al-Sayyid Ibrahim al-Azm and Khadija bint Nasuh Pasha, were married to Turkish mamluks in the family's service to retain the Azm family name. The lineage descending from Layla indicates that this branch of the family were concentrated around Hama, and many held government posts there. Al-Azm's era brought

7260-443: The automotive industry; machinery manufacturing; agricultural tools; casting; plastic paints and chemicals; construction materials; paper and packaging; processed foods; textiles; and leather. Turkey's largest solar farm is located 20 miles east of the city, near Karapınar . Konya sits in the center of the largest province, in the largest plain ( Konya Plain ), and is the seventh most heavily populated city in Turkey. The city

7381-402: The citadel of Kaballa, housing the tomb of the saint which the Turks later believed to be the tomb of Plato , renaming the church to Eflâtun Mescidi (mosque of Plato). The monastery of Saint Chariton , another local from Iconium, was located a few miles away in Sylata . The Seljuk Turks first raided the area in 1069 , but a period of chaos overwhelmed Anatolia after the Seljuk victory in

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7502-458: The citadel once stood. To the north of the citadel lies the Christian Quarter, known as "al-Hamidiyah". This neighbourhood is one of the few areas of Homs that retains its older look, with most of the alternating black-and-white stone buildings dating from the Mamluk era. They are still used as shops and dwellings, and there has been recent renovation. At the time of the Abbasids, Homs was known for its seven gates. They were Bab al-Souq (Gate of

7623-448: The city became part of the modern Republic of Turkey. Excavations have shown that the region was inhabited during the Late Copper Age , around 3000 BC. The Phrygians established their kingdom in central Anatolia in the eighth century BC and Xenophon describes Iconium (as the city was originally called) as the last city of Phrygia. The region was overwhelmed by Cimmerian invaders c.  690 BC . Later it formed part of

7744-401: The city during his Syrian campaigns . Throughout most of the 11th century, the Byzantine raids receded greatly and the Mirdasids of the Banu Kilab tribe ruled over Homs, replacing the Hamdanids. Inclined towards Shia Islam, they did not oppose the Isma'ili Shi'i Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, which was aiming to extend its rule into northern Syria and Iraq at the time. This precipitated

7865-401: The city to pay thanks to the deity. Due to the strength of the pagan sun cult in Emesa, Christians initially did not settle in the city. Eusebius writes that Silvanus, the city's first bishop, had no jurisdiction over the city, but the surrounding villages. He was executed by Emperor Julian and succeeded by Bishop Antonius—the first bishop to settle Emesa. By the 5th century, Christianity

7986-434: The city with Hamath-zobah of Zobah mentioned in the Bible . In 1274 BCE, a battle took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River near Homs. It was possibly the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving perhaps 5,000–6,000 chariots. Strabo only mentioned Arethusa in his Geography , as

8107-460: The city's downfall when Palmyra sank to insignificance in the 4th century. Nonetheless, Emesa at this time had grown to rank with the important cities of Tyre , Sidon , Beirut , and Damascus . It also continued to retain local significance, because it was the market center for the surrounding villages. The city remained a strong center of paganism, because of the Temple of El-Gabal. After one of his victories over Zenobia , Emperor Aurelian visited

8228-416: The city's strategic position. Initially, the Egypt -based Tulunids came into control of it, but they were forced out by the Aleppo -based Hamdanids , who were briefly succeeded by the Qarmatians , after the latter's Turkish rebel ally Alptakin invaded northern Syria and established Homs as his base. In 891, Muslim geographer al-Yaqubi noted that Homs was situated along a broad river which served as

8349-420: The city,which served as his headquarters, after his army's defeat by the Rashidun Caliphate under Umar during the Battle of the Yarmuk (now the Jordan–Syria border ). In 637 CE, the Rashidun army , led by Khalid ibn al-Walid , captured Emesa peacefully because its inhabitants agreed to pay a substantial ransom of 71,000 to 170,000 dinars . Caliph Umar established Homs as the capital of Jund Hims ,

8470-417: The city. For approximately 2,000 years, Homs has served as a key agricultural market, production site and trade center for the villages of northern Syria. It has also provided security services to the hinterland of Syria, protecting it from invading forces. Excavations at the Citadel of Homs indicate that the earliest settlement at the site dates back to around 2300 BCE. Biblical scholars have identified

8591-532: The city. After long periods of stagnation under Ottoman rule, Homs started to flourish again in the 20th century. Its geographic and strategic location has made it a centre of agriculture and industry. The "Homs Irrigation Scheme", the first of its kind in modern Syria, brought prosperity to cultivators and the long-established enterprises involved in the processing of agricultural and pastoral products. Crops grown in Homs include wheat , barley , lentils , sugar beets , cotton , and vines , as well as serving as

8712-541: The commanders of the crusader army doubted if the defenders of the Homs citadel actually wanted to release their prisoners. Saladin returned to Homs soon after he was informed about the negotiations between the crusaders and the garrison. Instead of attacking him, the crusader army retreated to Krak des Chevaliers; this enabled Saladin to capture the citadel on 17 March 1175. In 1179, after reorganising his territories in northern Syria, Saladin restored Homs to his Ayyubid dynasty . Shirkuh's descendants retained Homs for nearly

8833-568: The control of the Saljuqid ruler of Damascus , Duqaq , who transformed it into a large, fortified camp and key fortress effectively preventing the Crusaders from penetrating deeper into Muslim territory. Immune from attack, Homs became a point where the Muslims could marshal their forces and launch raids against Crusader holdings along the Mediterranean coast. In the early 12th century, the Saljuqids engaged in internal fighting, during which Homs

8954-425: The east of Homs, is the Syrian Desert . Lake Homs , impounded by a huge dam of Roman origins , is to the southwest, lying some 125 kilometres (78 mi) south of Aleppo and 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of Hama , halfway on the road between the capital Damascus and Aleppo. The Orontes River splits the city into two main sections: To the east, on a flat land lies the city center and the main neighbourhoods; to

9075-436: The epithet "Arab", which he takes to mean "local" as opposed to Ottoman. Finally, it is important to note that there is evidence that "Sulayman Pasha al-Azm knew not a word of Arabic whereas Mehmed was apparently thoroughly Arabized". Ismail Pasha, who later became wāli (governor) of Tripoli, was transferred to Damascus in 1725 at the request of the mufti , after fighting between different factions of janissaries prevented

9196-473: The first Syrian governments. During the 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. The city's modern name is an Arabic form of the city's Latin name Emesus , derived from the Greek Émesa or Émesos , or Hémesa . Most sources claim that the name Emesa in turn derived from

9317-510: The first half of the 19th century, interrupted by its occupation by Muhammad Ali's Egypt led by Ibrahim Pasha between 1832 and 1840. The city rebelled against Egyptian rule and consequently, the citadel was destroyed when the Egyptians suppressed the revolt. Ottoman rule was soon restored and up to the 1860s, Homs was large enough to form a discrete economic unit of trade and processing of agricultural products from its satellite villages and

9438-557: The governorate's capital, is located in central western Syria, situated along the east bank of the Orontes River in a particularly fertile area. The city is in between the southern outliers of the Coastal Mountain Range located to the west and Mount Lebanon , overlooking the Homs Gap . Because of the gap, the area around Homs receives much more rainfall and gusty winds than interior regions to its north and south. To

9559-680: The hero Perseus vanquished the native population with an image of the " Gorgon Medusa 's head " before founding the city. Konya was known as Dârülmülk to the Rum Seljuks . The Konya region has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and fell at different times under the rule of the Hittites , the Phrygians , the Greeks , the Persians and the Romans . In the 11th century

9680-419: The inhabitants of certain districts. By June, there were near-daily confrontations between protesting residents and Syrian forces. As a result of these circumstances, there have been more deaths in Homs and its vicinity than in other areas of Syria. Homs was the first Syrian city where images of al-Assad and his family were routinely torn down or defaced and the first place where Syrian forces used artillery during

9801-673: The largest number of students (76,080) of any public university in Turkey during the 2008–09 academic year. The other public university, Necmettin Erbakan University , was established in Konya in 2010. Private colleges in Konya include the KTO Karatay University. Konya hosts the Anatolian Eagle Tactical Training Centre for training NATO Allies and friendly Air Forces. The central bus station has connections to

9922-722: The name collectively means "The fortress surrounding" which refers to the Citadel of Homs and the encircling plains. 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. William of Tyre , Historia , 7.12, 21.6), although they never ruled

10043-760: The name of the nomadic Arab tribe known in Greek as Emesenoi , who inhabited the region prior to Roman influence in the area. Émesa was shortened to Homs or Hims by its Arab inhabitants, many of whom settled there prior to the Muslim conquest of Syria . 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"). Thus,

10164-521: The nearby (Caballa) Kaballah Fortress ( Turkish : Gevale Kalesi ) ( location ) a frequent target of Arab attacks during the Arab–Byzantine wars in the eighth to tenth century, being captured by Arabs in 723–724. The rebellious general Andronikos Doukas used the Kaballah fortress as his base in 905–906. During the tenth or eleventh century the church of Saint Amphilochius was constructed inside

10285-406: The neighbourhoods of Bab Tadmur, Bab al-Dreib, Bab Hud and the immediate vicinity of the citadel, covering an area of 1.2 square kilometres (0.46 sq mi). Little remains of the Old City; its walls and gates were demolished in the Ottoman era, but a short section of fortified wall with a circular corner tower still exists. Half a kilometre to the south, a large earth mound marks the site where

10406-432: The neighbouring Bedouin tribes. The local economy was stimulated when the Ottoman government extended security to the city and its surrounding areas; new villages were established and old ones were resettled. However, Homs found itself faced with European economic competition since Ottoman rule was restored. Homs' economic importance was boosted again during the depression of the 1870s, as its cotton industry boomed due to

10527-695: The new vilayet system introduced in 1864. In 1832 Anatolia was invaded by Mehmed Ali Paşa of Kavala whose son, İbrahim Paşa , occupied Konya. Although he was driven out with the help of the European powers, Konya went into a decline after this, as described by the British traveller, William Hamilton, who visited in 1837 and found a scene 'of destruction and decay', as he recorded in his Researches in Asia Minor, Pontus and Armenia , published in 1842. Konya's textile and mining industries flourished under

10648-657: The only military academy in Syria until 1967. The French authorities had created a locally recruited military force designated as the Special Troops of the Levant , in which the Alawites were given privileged positions. The military academy in Homs trained the indigenous officers for these Troupes Speciales du Levant . The Homs Military Academy played a major role in the years following Syria's independence, as many of its graduates went on to become high-ranking officers in

10769-640: The pan-Arabic nationalist Baath party seized power. In addition to the Turkish origin theory, an Arab origin is believed to be possible. In particular, the Azm family is believed to be part of "the Banu Azm tribe of the northern Hijaz, [who] served the Ottomans in the sixteenth century by protecting the Damascus-Medina caravan route, and later migrated to Anatolia, then to Ma'arra." In fact, there

10890-629: The region, probably located in Arethusa, attests to the secondary nature of this area during the Hellenistic period. Upon Pompey 's submission of the Seleucid state of Syria to the Roman Republic in 64 BCE, the Emesene dynasty were confirmed in their rule as client kings of the Romans for aiding their troops in various wars. At its greatest extent, the Arab kingdom's boundaries extended from

11011-593: The reign of Caliph al-Mutawakkil , in October 855, the Christian population revolted in response to additional taxation . The caliph put down the revolt by expelling Christians from the city, burning down their churches and executing members of their leadership. With Abbasid rule over the Caliphate weakening in the mid-9th century, Homs became sought after by rebel dynasties contending for control of Syria due to

11132-569: The sacking of its markets on several occasions. Security was even more hampered, when in the 18th century, the Ottomans tore down the gates of the city's walls. Around 1708, the emir Hamad al-'Abbas of the Mawali Bedouin confederation, whom the Ottomans had named "emir of the desert" ( çöl beyi ) in the region, actually managed to capture the governor of Homs to hold him for ransom. The countryside of Homs saw an increase in Bedouin raids in

11253-590: The son of Umar Ubayd Allah , are located in the city. During the First Fitna , the conflict between the Umayyad dynasty and their partisans and Ali and his partisans, the inhabitants of Homs allied themselves with Ali. When he was defeated, the Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya hived the northern half of Jund Hims to form a separate district, Jund Qinnasrin , apparently as punishment. Ali's oratory ( mashhad 'Ali )

11374-483: The southeast, Maskanah , al-Nuqayrah , Abil and Kafr Aya to the south, al-Qusayr , Qattinah and al-Buwaydah al-Sharqiyah to the southwest, Khirbet Tin Nur to the west, al-Dar al-Kabirah to the northwest, al-Ghantu , Teir Maalah , al-Mukhtariyah and Talbiseh to the north, al-Mishirfeh to the northeast and Fairouzeh and Zaidal to the east. The Old City is the most condensed area of Homs, and it includes

11495-412: The state revalue its currency. He was transferred to Aleppo and later dismissed and executed. This marked the end of the family's golden age. It continued to assert some influence, and many of its members served as walis later, but its great days were over. The last member of the family to govern Damascus was Abdullah Pasha al-Azm who served intermittently between 1795 and 1807. In the mid-18th century

11616-490: The time, Raghib Pasha , denounced him as a, "peasant son of a peasant," after a deal between the two of them failed. In addition, the Kizlar Agha of Istanbul disliked al-Azm for apparently not taking good care of him when he passed through Damascus on the pilgrim caravan. The Ottoman state was also interested in confiscating the wealth al-Azm accumulated during his tenure in office. The large amounts of money collected made

11737-414: The uprising. The Center for Documenting Violations in Syria claims that at least 1,770 people have been killed in Homs since the uprising began. On 9 December 2015, under a UN-negotiated deal, the remnants of anti-government forces and their families, that had been under siege the al-Waer district for three years, began to evacuate from the city. The Governorate of Homs is the largest in Syria. Homs,

11858-514: The views is supported by definite proofs, the latter [that is, the Beduin theory] seems to be more acceptable. In the realities of Syria in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it is more likely that a Beduin family in the Ottoman service should become partly turkicized and live for a while in Anatolia than that a Turkish family should seek to derive prestige by falsely attributing its origins to

11979-538: The west in the neighbourhood of Jouret al-Shayyah, and further west are the upscale neighbourhoods of Qusoor, al-Qarabis, al-Baghtasia, al-Mahatta, al-Hamra, al-Inshaat, Karm al-Shami, al-Ghouta and Baba Amr . The suburb of al-Waer is located even further west, separated from the city by areas of farmland called al-Basatin and the Orontes River forming a green belt where it is forbidden to build anything. The Baath University complex and dormitories are located on

12100-418: The west, lies the more recent and modern suburb of al-Waer. The city spans an area of 4,800 hectares (19 sq mi). Homs is located 162 kilometres (101 mi) north of Damascus , 193 kilometres (120 mi) south of Aleppo , 47 kilometres (29 mi) south of Hama , and 186 kilometres (116 mi) southeast of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast. Nearby towns and villages include al-Rayyan to

12221-469: The western-southern edge of the city next to the neighbourhood of Akrama. Homs has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification : Csa ). Homs' location ensures that it receives softening influences and breezes from the Mediterranean. As a result, the city has a much milder climate than nearby Hama, with higher average rainfall of 18 inches (460 mm) instead of 14 inches (360 mm), but it also experiences greater winds. Homs

12342-726: Was captured by the 5th Cavalry Division of the Allied forces . During the French mandate , Homs was part of the State of Damascus . It was considered for some time to become the capital of the Syrian Federation . In Autumn 1925, the city joined Damascus and the southern Druze chieftains in a full-blown revolt against French rule. In 1932, the French moved their military academy from Damascus to Homs to be established in 1933, later known as Homs Military Academy , and it remained

12463-560: Was "threatened with ruin." He stated that when the city was conquered by the Muslims they turned half of its church into a mosque. For around thirty years during the 10th century, Homs was raided by the Byzantines led by Nikephoros II Phokas in October 968, and its inhabitants were subject to slaughter and plunder while the Great Mosque of al-Nuri was briefly restored as a church. In 974–975, John I Tzimiskes managed to control

12584-448: Was 40.9 °C (106 °F) on 14 August 2023, closely beating the former record of 40.6 °C (105 °F) on 30 July 2000. Winters average −4.2 °C (24 °F), and the lowest temperature recorded was −26.5 °C (−16 °F) on 6 February 1972. Precipitation levels are low and happen mainly in winter and spring. Konya has a reputation for being one of the more religiously conservative metropolitan centres in Turkey. Konya

12705-525: Was administered by the Sultan's sons ( Şehzade ) , starting with Şehzade Mustafa and Şehzade Cem (the sons of Sultan Mehmed II ), and continuing with the future Sultan Selim II . Between 1483 and 1864, Konya was the administrative capital of the Karaman Eyalet . During the reforming Tanzimat period, it became the seat of the larger Vilayet of Konya which replaced the Karaman Eyalet, as part of

12826-589: Was also the birthplace of Saint Thecla , who saved the city from attack by the Isaurians in 354. Under the Byzantine Empire , the city became the seat of a bishop, and in c.  370 was raised to the status of a metropolitan see for Lycaonia , with Saint Amphilochius as the first metropolitan bishop. In the 7th century it became part of the Anatolic Theme and was, together with

12947-558: Was annexed to the Roman province of Syria , between 72 and the date of the construction of the Tomb of Sampsigeramus (78–79). Under the Romans, Emesa began to show attributes of a Greek city-state and traces of Roman town planning still remain. Its transformation into a major city was completed under the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) when Emesa began to mint coins . By the 3rd century, it grew prosperous and well integrated into

13068-594: Was bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War . From May 2011 – May 2014, the city was under siege by the Syrian Army and security forces. The Syrian government claims it is targeting "armed gangs" and "terrorists" in the area. According to the Syrian opposition, Homs has since become a "blighted city", where authorities regularly block deliveries of medicine, food and fuel to

13189-463: Was considered the greatest governor of Damascus in Ottoman times. As'ad Pasha overcame all his local adversaries after three years struggle. In his reign Hama and Homs were added to the province of Damascus. Despite As'ad Pasha's ability to ensure the security of the pilgrim caravan, the new Ottoman authorities in Istanbul deposed him in 1757 after fourteen years of governance. The Grand Vizier at

13310-504: Was executed for treason. It was in 32 that Heliopolis and the Beqaa Valley came under the kingdom's control. Relations with the Roman government grew closer when King Sohaemus inherited the kingship. Under him, Emesa sent the Roman military a regular levy of archers and assisted them in their siege of Jerusalem in 70. Sohaemus had died in 73. According to Maurice Sartre , the dynasty was very likely deprived of its kingdom, which

13431-490: Was exported as far as the Ottoman capital Istanbul . In addition to weaving industries, there were olive oil presses and water mills for wheat and sesame , while grapes and rice , grown in the surrounding marshlands from the 16th century, were found in abundance in the city's markets. Moreover, the markets of Homs were the center of a trade in livestock, where flocks of sheep and goats coming from Aleppo met camels and cattle moving north from Damascus. The coming of

13552-423: Was in decay and only its covered markets "retained their beauty." In 1785 French traveller, Volney wrote of the city's once great importance and its current "miserable" condition. He described it as a large, but ruined village administratively dependent on Damascus. The Ottomans did little to revitalise Homs or ensure its security against Bedouin raids. Tribal unrest throughout the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in

13673-429: Was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire and consequently suffered a greater political eclipse, but it continued to thrive as an economic center, processing the agricultural and pastoral products that flowed to it from surrounding districts. Homs was particularly well known for silk and wool weaving, especially the alaja , which was mottled muslin run through with gold threads and used in feminine apparel. This silk

13794-550: Was known as Iconium . In 19th-century accounts of the city in English its name is usually spelt Konia or Koniah . In the late medieval period, Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Turks ' Sultanate of Rum , from where the sultans ruled over Anatolia. As of 2023, the population of the Metropolitan Province was just over 2.3 million, making it the sixth most populous city in Turkey , and second most populous of

13915-526: Was located in the city, and Islamic tradition claims his fingerprints are engraved on it. Despite repression by the Umayyads, Homs remained a center of Shia Islam for a while longer. As a stronghold of the Banu Kalb, a Yamani tribe, the city became heavily involved in the Qays–Yaman rivalry . The last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II , enjoyed the support of the Qays and subsequently razed the city walls in response to

14036-461: Was often a prize. In 1149 the Mosul -based Zangids under Nur al-Din captured the city. Muslim geographer al-Idrisi noted in 1154 that Homs was populous, had paved streets, possessed one of the largest mosques in Syria, contained open markets, and was frequented by travellers attracted to its "products and rarities of all kinds." He also reported that its residents were "pleasant; living with them

14157-412: Was one of the largest cities in Syria in the 12th century with a population of 7,000. In 1785, the inhabitants of Homs numbered more than 2,000 and the population was divided almost evenly between Eastern Orthodox Christians and Muslims. The 1860s saw a rise in the population to 15,000–20,000. By 1907, Homs had roughly 65,000 inhabitants, of which two-thirds were Muslims and the remainder Christians. In

14278-637: Was the bishop of Emesa. During the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628 , Emesa fell in 613 to Shahrbaraz and was in Sasanian hands until near the end of the war. Prior to the Muslim conquest of the Levant , tribes of Arabia , particularly the Banu Kalb , settled around Emesa, ensuring its position as an important center for the Qays and Yaman tribes . The Byzantine emperor Heraclius abandoned

14399-731: Was the final home of Rumi (Mevlana), whose turquoise-domed tomb in the city is its primary tourist attraction. In 1273, Rumi's followers established the Mevlevi Sufi order of Islam and became known as the Whirling Dervishes . Every Saturday, there are Whirling Dervish performances ( semas ) at the Mevlana Cultural Centre. Unlike some of the commercial performances staged in cities like Istanbul, these are genuinely spiritual sessions. Expensive, richly patterned Konya carpets were exported to Europe during

14520-475: Was the third-largest city in Syria after Aleppo to the north and the capital Damascus to the south. Its population reflected Syria's general religious diversity, composed of Sunni and Alawite Muslims, and Christians . 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 . Homs did not emerge into the historical record until

14641-476: Was well established under the Byzantine Empire ; however, few ancient Christian inscriptions exist in Homs today. Under the Byzantines, the city became an important center for Eastern Christianity . Initially a diocese , Homs was given the status of ecclesiastical metropolis after the discovery of John the Baptist 's head in a nearby cave in 452. Nemesius , who lived in the fourth or early fifth century AD,

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