Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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The stop in Hama was brief. The neat and tidy town sits on the banks of the Orontes River,
with its most famous attractions being the 17 waterwheels, known as 'norias', dating back
to the Byzantine times. Fed by the river, the waterwheels were up to 20 metres in diameter
and originally used to direct water into a series of aqueducts that led into the town and the
neighbouring agricultural areas. But there was no water in the river and low rainfall was ob-
viously becoming quite a problem in the region.
Also, like so many places, Hama had a dark and secret history.
After World War I Hama was made part of the French protectorate and, in 1941, became
part of independent Syria. Political insurgency by Islamic groups, particularly the Muslim
Brotherhood beginning in the early 1980s culminated in an uprising in February, 1982. In
response, government forces led by the President's brother, Rifaat al-Assad, quelled the re-
volt, but killed thousands of civilians and, in the process, destroyed much of the old part of
the city.
The town was shelled by the Syrian military, with the estimated deaths numbering more than
20,000 and possibly as high as 40,000. A big proportion being women and children.
The remnants of the Brotherhood were rounded up, ending in prisons such as that hidden
away in Palmyra. The sequence of events has left a level of residual hostility, however, they
have also sent an abject message to anybody else who may be toying with the thought of
defying the regime.
But you can't keep people down forever. In this context, Syria was not immune from the
protests that swept through the Arab nations in early 2011, which led to the fall of the reign-
ing governments in Egypt and Tunisia, and the outbreak of civil war in Libya.
The Syrian government was quick to stamp on the protests that occurred in a number of pro-
vincial cities, leading to the death of up to 200, including claims that the military executed
several of its own personnel because they were not prepared to fire upon the civilian popu-
lation.
