Ḩamāh
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central 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.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Ḩamāh
9 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Great Mosque of Hama
The Great Mosque of Hama, is a mosque in Hama, Syria. It is located approximately 400 metres west of the citadel.
400 m · mosque in Hama, Syria · Wikipedia - 02Nur al-Din Mosque
The Nur Al-Din Mosque is a Zengid-era mosque in Hama, Syria. It was founded by Nur al-Din in 1163-64 CE. It also contained a historic minbar from the same date, which has subsequently been relocated to the local Hama Museum.
200 m · Zengid era mosque of Hamas in Syria · Wikipedia - 03Azm Palace
The Azm Palace is an 18th-century Ottoman-era palace in Hama, Syria at the center of the city on the banks of the Orontes River, about 400 meters south of the Hama Citadel. Ross Burns, author of Monuments of Syria, reportedly considers the Azm Palace to be "one of the loveliest Ottoman residential buildings in Syria." The palace has been used as a regional archaeology museum since 1956.
400 m · Ottoman-era palace at Hama, Syria · Wikipedia - 04Abu'l-Fida Mosque
The Abu'l-Fida Mosque is a mosque and mausoleum in Hama, Syria, located on the banks of the Orontes River. The mausoleum was erected by al-Mu’ayyid Isma’il in 1327 CE, during the Ayyubid-era; and the mosque dates from the Mamluk era.
500 m · mosque in Syria · Wikipedia - 05Kafraa
Jabal Kafraa is a mountain near Kafraa in the Hama Governorate in Syria. It has an elevation of 625 meters and is located near Jabal Zayn al-Abidin, it ranks as the 30th highest mountain in Hama and the 540th highest in Syria.
9.3 km · mountain in Syria · Wikipedia - 06Hama University
Hama University is a public university located in the city of Hama, Syria. It was established in 2014.
1 km · public university in Syria · Wikipedia - 07Hama Castle
Hama Castle is a mostly-ruined fortress located in Hama, Syria, Located on the Orontes River.
200 m · castle · Wikipedia - 08Hama Municipal Stadium
Hama Municipal Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Hama, Syria. It is used mostly for football matches.
2.3 km · multi-purpose stadium in Hama, Syria · Wikipedia - 09Zayn al-Abidin
Jabal Zayn al-Abidin is a mountain east of the town of Qamhana and north of Hama in Syria. It has an elevation of 620 meters and is located near Jabal Kafraa.
7.7 km · mountain in Syria · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Hama Waterwheels
World's largest Noria, traditional waterwheels along the Orontes river.
- 02Azem Palace
A little hidden in the old town, is not as big as its counterpart in Damascus but still very much worth a visit.
- 03Citadel of Hama
Nothing remains of the castle, but it's a locals' favourite spot for a picnic on a Friday.
- 04Museum of Hama
- 05Great Mosque of Hama
- 06Nur al-Din Mosque
Souq - which seems to have a lot of shoes for sale.
From Wikivoyage: Ḩamāh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Eat possibly the best felafel in the Middle East at Ali Babas near the Cairo Hotel. This small and simple restaurant is recommended by the guidebooks and consequently has a menu in English. There are numerous fast food and juice stands in the area around Ali Babas. Al-Baroudi restaurant on Shoukri al-Quwatli is a good bet for barbequed chicken but be careful what you order.
From Wikivoyage: Ḩamāh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Ḩamāh
- Airports
- Aleppo (ALP), 124 km · Beirut Rafic Hariri (BEY), 186 km · Damascus (DAM), 193 km
- Stations
- Hama Military Airport, 4 km
- Aleppo → Ḩamāh124 km · quickest by road, 2h 23m · $11–16
- Damascus → Ḩamāh185 km · quickest by road, 3h 7m · $17–23
- Beirut → Ḩamāh179 km · quickest by road, 3h 39m · $18–25
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Ḩamāh
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Ḩamāh. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundIf you need to get to the bus or train station, you'll find a service bus stop south-west of the bridge, easily recognized by many minibuses stopping there.
- Go nextHama makes a great base for exploring a lot of the north-east of Syria The following can be done as a half day trip from Hama, but you could string a few together for a long day!
- Go nextService taxis run back to Hama until at least 17:00.) A little further afield you could get to the Krak des Chevaliers as a day trip - but this would be a bit of a shame, as staying the night near the Krak and spending some time to explore this gem of Syria is well worth the time and effort.
From Wikivoyage: Hama, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-03.
- 01548 km
- 02631 km
- 03657 km
- 04768 km
- 05884 km
If you know how people move in Ḩamāh – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Ḩamāh
Ḩamāh is 46 km from Homs, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Hamacity in Hama Governorate, Syria3.2 km
- Kafr Buhumvillage in Syria9.5 km
- Qamhanavillage in Syria7.1 km
- Arzeh Eldabaavillage in Syria6.5 km
- Bayadvillage in Hama Subdistrict, Syria1.5 km
- Zbadavillage in Syria9.1 km