I found Hama somewhat disappointing. I had imagined it so romantic, the twenty-metre high water wheels lifting water out of the river with a creak and a gurgle and shovelling it into irrigation channels. Instead, all the wheels stand still and the river, dried up except for a few puddles, is full of rubbish.
In Apamea, I stroll along the kilometre-long Roman colonnades. Some of the columns are twisted in a spiral, which looks pretty good.
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Backpacking trip Middle East and Caucasus 2008
Aleppo
Krak des Chevaliers
Palmyra
Damascus
Travelling Lebanon