Around the house
Hama is the city of the norias, the great wooden water wheels that have turned on the Asi river for centuries. Orontes Hotel stands in the old Al-Tawafra quarter, a short walk from Al-Nuri Mosque, Azm Palace, the norias and Hama Castle.
Its name comes from an old Canaanite and Aramaic word for a fortress, after the castle hill where the city began, and it counts among the oldest cities in the world. It was the seat of an Aramaean kingdom, took the name Epiphania under the Seleucid kings, and returned to its old name in Roman times.
Muslims entered Hama in 639 (18 AH). It flourished in the 12th century, when Nur al-Din Zengi rebuilt its walls and castle and founded Al-Nuri Mosque, and again under the Ayyubid prince and historian Abu al-Fida, who ruled it from 1310 to 1331. Hama is still called the city of Abu al-Fida, and the hotel's street carries his name. Today it is Syria's fourth-largest city, about 47 km north of Homs and 220 km north of Damascus by road, and spring is its most beautiful season.
By the hosts of Orontes Hotel
Your quarter
Al-Tawafra lies on the western bank of the Asi in the heart of old Hama, part of the larger Al-Bashoura quarter, which has been lived in since the 12th century. Residents say it takes its name from the largest family that once lived here.
Its oldest building is Al-Asfuriyya School, founded by Najm al-Din Tuwtan in 1188 (584 AH) and one of the oldest schools in the province. Most of the quarter took shape in the Mamluk era, from around 1260, and for more than 750 years its palaces, houses, baths and khans have kept their old form along narrow stone alleys.
Its grandest house is Azm Palace, built in the 18th century as the residence of the governor As'ad Pasha al-Azm and his family. Today it is the Museum of Popular Traditions, and among its treasures are antiquities found in the Asi valley and on the hill of Hama Castle.
Three old norias turn at the edge of the quarter, Al-Uthmaniyya, Al-Mu'ayyadiyya and Al-Ma'muriyya, among old mosques and historic baths. Many of the older residents still keep the customs and dress of the past.
Walking map
In town, on foot
≈ 80 m from the gate · 1 min on foot
جامع النوري
Built by Sultan Nur al-Din Zengi from 1162 on the bank of the Asi, the mosque is one of the oldest in Hama. Its square minaret is laid in alternating black and white stone, and the pool in its courtyard is fed by the al-Ja'bariyya noria.
≈ 100 m from the gate · 1 min on foot
قصر العظم
As'ad Pasha al-Azm began this Ottoman residence above the Asi around 1740; his family lived here until 1920. Since 1956 it has housed Hama's Museum of Popular Traditions, with its Golden Hall, a courtyard with an old magnolia tree and a family hammam.
≈ 80 m from the gate · 2 min on foot
نواعير حماة
The great wooden water wheels that Hama is known for lift water from the Asi into aqueducts with every slow turn. About 40 still turn, 19 of them inside the city, and they have been on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list since 1999. The nearest group, the Kilaniyat, includes a noria named al-Tawafra, after the quarter.
≈ 340 m from the gate · 5 min on foot
قلعة حماة
The hill where Hama began: Danish excavations in the 1930s found 13 layers of settlement, from the 5th millennium BC to the Mamluk period. Little of the castle survives today; the hilltop is a public park with trees, a favourite place for an evening walk.
≈ 320 m from the gate · 6 min on foot
شارع ابن رشد
Hama's main shopping street, where locals come for clothes, shoes and everyday things.
≈ 420 m from the gate · 10 min on foot
ساحة العاصي
Hama's main square, named after the river, and the place where the city meets. From here the streets of the city centre lead off in every direction.
Every place on this page is a short walk from the hotel gate. Book a room, and the old town is on your doorstep.
Hama is known for its norias, the great wooden water wheels on the Asi (Orontes) river. About 40 still turn, 19 of them inside the city, and they have been on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list since 1999.
Al-Nuri Mosque and Azm Palace are a minute's walk from the hotel, and the nearest norias two. Hama Castle, with its hilltop park, is 5 minutes away on foot, Ibn Rushd Street, the main shopping street, 6 minutes, and Al-Asi Square, the city's main square, 10 minutes.
The nearest norias, the Kilaniyat group on the Asi, are about 100 metres from the hotel gate, a 2-minute walk. Al-Nuri Mosque and Azm Palace are even closer, a minute away.
One of Hama's oldest quarters, on the western bank of the Asi in the old city, and the quarter where Orontes Hotel stands. Its oldest building, Al-Asfuriyya School, dates from 1188, and most of its stone houses, palaces, baths and khans took shape in the Mamluk era, from around 1260. Azm Palace and three old norias belong to the quarter.
Excavations found 13 layers of settlement on the hill, from the 5th millennium BC to the Mamluk period. Today the hilltop is a public park.
Sultan Nur al-Din Zengi built it from 1162. Its square minaret is laid in alternating black and white stone, and its courtyard pool is fed by a noria.
After Abu al-Fida, the Ayyubid prince and historian who ruled Hama from 1310 to 1331. Orontes Hotel stands on the street named after him, Abi al-Fida Street.
It comes from an old Canaanite and Aramaic word for a fortress, after the castle hill where the city began. Under the Seleucid kings the city was called Epiphania.
أهلاً وسهلاً
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