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City in western Syria, ancient Emesa · Homs

Homs

Homs, known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa, is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate.

Homs
Homs · Bijay Chaurasia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The place

Homs, known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa, is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is 501 m (1,644 ft) above sea level and is located 162 km (101 mi) north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is also the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast.

Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What is there

Worth seeing in and around Homs

10 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.

  1. 01
    Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque

    The Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque is a mosque in Homs, Syria, located in a park along Hama Street in ash-Shuhada Square. The mosque is dedicated to Khalid ibn al-Walid, an Arab military commander who led the Muslim conquest of Syria in the 7th century following the decisive Battle of Yarmouk, which put an end to Byzantine rule in Syria.

    900 m · historic mosque in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  2. 02
    Homs University

    Homs University is a public university located in the city of Homs, Syria, 180 km north of Damascus. It is Syria's fourth largest university.

    2 km · University in Syria · Wikipedia
  3. 03
    Great Mosque of al-Nuri

    The Great Mosque of al-Nuri also called al-Nouri Mosque, is a mosque in Homs, Syria. It is situated off ash-Shouhada street, adjacent to the city's historical roofed souqs.

    500 m · mosque in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  4. 04
    Church of Saint Elian

    The Church of Saint Elian is a church in Homs, Syria, located along Tarafa bin al-Abd Street near the Gate of Palmyra. The Feast of St.

    1.4 km · church building in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  5. 05
    Homs Municipal Stadium

    Khalid ibn Al-Walid Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in the city of Homs. It is the third-largest football stadium in Syria and is mostly used for football matches.

    1.1 km · Syrian soccer stadium · Wikipedia
  6. 06
    St. Mary Church of the Holy Belt

    Saint Mary of the Holy Belt Cathedral is a Syriac Orthodox cathedral in Homs, Syria. The first structure on the site was completed in 59 AD, and the present structure dates from 1852.

    1 km · cathedral in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  7. 07
    Forty Martyrs Cathedral, Homs

    The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox cathedral located in the Old City of Homs, Syria. Dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, the cathedral is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Homs and Dependencies.

    1.1 km · Greek Orthodox church in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  8. 08
    Al-Atassi Mosque

    The Al-Atassi Mosque, also known as the Great Al-Atassi Mosque, is a mosque in Homs, Syria. It is situated in a public park on the site of a former graveyard at the foot of the mound on which the remains of the citadel stand.

    900 m · mosque in Homs, Syria · Wikipedia
  9. 09
    Citadel of Homs

    The Citadel of Homs, also known as Homs Castle or Qalaat Homs, is a historic building now mostly ruined in Homs, Syria. The citadel was built on top of an ancient tell southwest of the Old City, with remains dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. The citadel is locally known as the "Citadel of Usama", named after Usama ibn Munqidh.

    900 m · Homs Citadel The castle is located in the southwest of the ancient city of Homs / Syria, on a hill 32 m high from the city and at an altitude of 533 AD. The construction of the castle dates back to the third thousand BC · Wikipedia
  10. 10
    Homs Museum

    Homs Museum is an archaeological museum located in the city of Homs, Syria. It is situated on Shukri al-Quwatli Street, one of the city's main streets.

    200 m · museum in Homs, 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.

See

What Wikivoyage says to see

  1. 01
    Citadel of Homs

    Built on an ancient tell dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, a castle has been standing here since Roman times.

  2. 02
    Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque
  3. 03
    Great Mosque
  4. 04
    Church of Saint Elian

    Greek Orthodox church consecrated in AD 432.

  5. 05
    Forty Martyrs Cathedral

    The largest Greek Orthodox cathedral in the city.

  6. 06
    Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt

    Also known as Um Al Zennar (كنيسة أم الزنار), this Syriac Orthodox church was first consecrated in 59 AD.

From Wikivoyage: Homs, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Do

Things to do

Go to the mountains, 45 km from the city center: Mashta el Helou Marmarita Jwykhat Krak des Chevaliers There you can enjoy the cool weather, the beautiful view, or camp if you have a tent. A camping permit might be needed.

From Wikivoyage: Homs, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Eat

Where to eat

There are many restaurants in Homs in Ghouta street and Hamra street and others near city center. If you are just passing through the city, definitely try the labneh shawarma at the big food stall inside the Homs bus station.

From Wikivoyage: Homs, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Go there

Getting to Homs

Airports
Damascus (DAM), 148 km · Beirut Rafic Hariri (BEY), 151 km · Aleppo (ALP), 168 km
  • Damascus → Homs
    141 km · quickest by road, 2h 23m · $13–18
  • Aleppo → Homs
    169 km · quickest by road, 2h 46m · $15–21
  • Beirut → Homs
    146 km · quickest by road, 2h 58m · $14–20
  • From anywhere
    The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
    Plan a trip

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

Not yet researched

No local-transport research exists yet for Homs

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 Homs. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

The nearest places where the work is done
  1. 01
    Petra and Wadi MusaJO

    12 ways of moving, 17 sources

    503 km
  2. 02
    Wadi RumJO

    8 ways of moving, 23 sources

    586 km
  3. 03
    KastellorizoGR

    8 ways of moving, 27 sources

    664 km
  4. 04
    DahabEG

    8 ways of moving, 29 sources

    724 km
  5. 05
    GyumriAM

    12 ways of moving, 47 sources

    920 km

If you know how people move in Homs – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.

Around it

Next door to Homs

Homs is 45 km from Ḩamāh, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.