Qatna
A Bronze Age royal city whose intact tomb yielded a golden treasure.
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Qatna, at the village of Mishrifeh northeast of Homs, was a royal city of the second millennium BC ringed by some of the largest earthen ramparts in Syria - square kilometres inside banks still twenty metres high. In 2002 excavators found the royal tomb untouched beneath the palace: gold, amber from the Baltic, and the bones of generations of kings, one of the great finds of Near Eastern archaeology. The palace's restored well shaft and the vast ramparts are the visit.
What you actually see
- The ramparts - earthen banks on a scale hard to credit.
- The palace area - the excavated royal quarter.
- The tomb shaft - the approach to the intact royal burial.
- The village-in-the-ruins - Mishrifeh living inside the ancient ring.
When to go
March to May and October to November are mild. Spring greens the ramparts. Summer is hot.
Honest expectations
The treasure is in museums, and the tomb itself is not generally enterable; what you see is earthworks and excavation areas. A guide makes the difference. Access arrangements should be checked locally.
Nearby
Homs is southwest, and Hama is northwest.
What to pack for Qatna
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
