Syria

Palmyra in the heart of Syria´s desert was a city that enjoyed unsurpassed wealth due to its strategic location along the Assyrian caravan trade route. The city´s most famous person was the half-Greek, half-Arab queen Zenobia who claimed that she was a direct descendant of Cleopatra. She had the audacity to challenge the power of Rome, but the strength of her army did not match the heights of her ambition. In 271 A.D. the Palmyran forces were soundly deafted by an army under the command of the Roman emporer Aurelian. This marked the beginning of the end for this fabulous metropolis. The Muslims ransacked the place in 634 and a devestating earthquake in 1089 finished it off.