Hama
city in Hama Governorate, Syria
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 km (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of around 600-800 thousands (2026), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.
The city is renowned for its seventeen norias, which are claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for irrigation, the norias are used purely for show today and function solely as a tourist attraction and a symbol of the city.
History
The ancient settlement of Hamath was occupied from the early Neolithic to the Iron Age.
Neolithic
The stratigraphy is very generalized, which makes detailed comparison to other sites difficult. Level M (6 m or 20 ft thick) contained both white ware (lime-plaster) and true pottery. It may be contemporary with Ras Shamra V (6000–5000 BC).
“Hama” enters the record as city in Hama Governorate, Syria. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Hama, city and Governorate can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Hama” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Hama, city and Governorate provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q173545. VIAF identifies the subject as 4304147270375035700002. The Library of Congress control number is n81124923. Authority coordinates are 35.135, 36.750. 5 of 7 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2026 and 1100.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hama”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hama primary sources, Hama archive and Hama research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hama”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hama” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.