THE CITY OF PALMYRA.

PALMYRA is an ancient city of Central Syria, located in an oasis 210km/130mi North East of Damascus.
Once dubbed the "Bride of the Desert," Palmyra was a vital stop for caravans crossing the Syrian Desert.
Palmyra is the Greek name for the city, a translation of its original Aramaic name, Tadmor, which means "Palm Tree."
Palmyra is mentioned in tablets dating as early as the 20 century BC, when it was a trading city in the extensive trade network that linked Mesopotamia and Northern Syria. Palmyra appears in 2 Chronicles, chapter 8, as a desert city being fortified by Solomon. The Chronicles describe the rule of Solomon as King of Israel, records the revolt of the Northern Tribes led by Jeroboam against Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor, and continues an account of the kingdom of Judah until the Fall of Jerusalem. There is also a mention of a city of Tamar in 1Kings 9, also fortified by Solomon.
The Aramean city of Tadmor (Palmyra) began to attain prominence in the 3rd century BC, when a road through it became one of the main routes of East-West trade. It was built on an oasis lying approximately halfway between the Mediterranean Sea in the West and the Euphrates River in the East, and thus helped connect the Western World with the Orient. When the Seleucids took Syria in 323BC, Palmyra remained autonomous and continued to flourish as an important caravan stop. Mark Antony tried to occupy Palmyra in 41BC but failed. The Palmyrians had advance warning and had escaped to the other side of the Euphrates by the time he arrived, which indicates that Palmyra's valuables were able to move at short notice. During the reign of Tiberius (14-37CE), Palmyra was made part of the Roman province of Syria. Palmyra then steadily grew in importance as a trade route linking Persia, India, China, and the Roman empire. Hadrian visited Palmyra in 129CE and was so impressed that he proclaimed it a free city and renamed it Palmyra Hadriana. The emperor Caracalla made Palmyra a colonia, which meant exemption from paying taxes to the empire. The 2nd and 3rd centuries CE were the golden age of Palmyra, when it flourished through its extensive trading and favored status under the Romans.
The main god of the Arameans at Palmyra was Bol. He soon became known as Bel by assimilation to the Babylonian god Bel-Marduk; both gods presided over the movements of the stars. Ruins of the temple of Bel can still be seen today. The ancient ruins at the site today show the several temples that the Palmyrians dedicated to its Aramean, Babylonian, and Mesopotamian deities. The site is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Syria.
The language of Palmyra was Aramaic. Its two systems of writing, a monumental script and a Mesopotamian cursive, reflect the city's position between East and West.
Palmyra's trade began to diminish in the early 3rd century CE, when the Persian Sassanids occupied the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates and closed the caravan road that passed through Palmyra (227CE).
In 255CE, Septimus Oda'Enathus was appointed governor of Syria Phoenice, based in Palmyra, Five years later, he was made Governor of all the East.
In 266 Oda'Enathus and his elder son were killed by assassination. Power fell to his infant son, but Oda'Enathus' wife, Zenobia, became the effective ruler. Some believe she was the one who hired the assassin. The ambitious Zenobia was half-Greek and half-Arab and claimed to be descended from Cleopatra. She was exceptionally intelligent and an eloquent speaker of Aramean Palmyrian, Greek, and Egyptian, and very attractive. Philosophers, scholars, and theologians were in her court. She was an effective ruler and her armies conquered most of Anatolia (Asia Minor) in 270CE, and the city declared its independence from Rome. Zenobia had her sights set on Antioch when she was captured in 272CE. She was sent to Rome, where she was paraded in golden chains as emperor Aurelian's trophy.
There are two stories of Zenobia's last days: she either lived confortably in Rome in a villa provided by the emperor or she starved/poisoned herself to death. A year later, Palmyra was destroyed and the inhabitants slaughtered.
In the 6th century CE, Palmyra's defences wre rebuilt by emperor Justinian and a few Byzantine churches were built, but most of the city remained in ruins. In 634CE, Palmyra was taken by the Muslim Arabs in the name of the first Muslim caliph, Abu Bakr. A castle was built on top of a mountain overlooking the oasis. Surrounded by a moat, the castle was accessible only through a drawbridge.
In 1089CE, a major earthquake destroyed what was left of Palmyra. In 1678, Palmyra was found again by two English merchants living in Aleppo. As usual, excavations at what was suppose to be sealed and never open, started in 1924. The ancient ruins were unearthed and  declared UNESCO World Heritage by the people of the Western World. The extensive ruins somehow reveal the network plan of the ancient evil power that once stood at the crossroads of several civilizations.