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Homs
City in western Syria, ancient Emesa

Homs

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

Plan a trip to Homs→From Damascus

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.

Get in

Getting to Homs

There is no airport in Homs; however, you can reach the city by taxi, private car, or bus from the airports at Damascus, Aleppo, or Latakia, or other ports of you are arriving from outside of Syria. There are bus stations in every city which provide service to reach Homs. There are no trains to Homs.

  1. 01
    Homs
See

Worth seeing

  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.

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.

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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Bijay Chaurasia (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.