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Ḩamāh
City in Hama Governorate, Syria

Ḩamāh

Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria.

Plan a trip to Ḩamāh→From Aleppo

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.

Get in

Getting to Ḩamāh

Hama is on the M5 motorway between Damascus and Aleppo.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Hama Waterwheels

    World's largest Noria, traditional waterwheels along the Orontes river.

  2. 02
    Azem Palace

    A little hidden in the old town, is not as big as its counterpart in Damascus but still very much worth a visit.

  3. 03
    Citadel of Hama

    Nothing remains of the castle, but it's a locals' favourite spot for a picnic on a Friday.

  4. 04
    Museum of Hama
  5. 05
    Great Mosque of Hama
  6. 06
    Nur al-Din Mosque

    Souq - which seems to have a lot of shoes for sale.

Eat

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.

How locals move

Getting around Ḩamāh the local way

  • 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. Last edited 2026-03.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.