Homs Old City and Reconstruction
Explore Homs old city, once one of the most historic cities in Syria and a major casualty of the civil war, where the ancient neighborhoods and monuments are now being rebuilt by returning residents in a remarkable act of collective resilience.
- 1
Old City Entry
Enter the Homs old city through one of its ancient gates, the historic core of a city settled since the Bronze Age that experienced some of the most intense urban warfare of the Syrian civil war, the reconstruction effort now visible in every rebuilt street.
- 2
Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque
Visit the Mosque of Khalid ibn al-Walid, the elaborate Ottoman shrine containing the tomb of the great Muslim military commander who led the conquest of Syria in 636 CE, the domed structure one of the most distinctive monuments of Homs now restored after war damage.
- 3
Church of Saint Mary
See the Church of Saint Mary of the Holy Belt in the old city, the ancient church where the belt of the Virgin Mary is traditionally venerated, the pre-Islamic Christian community of Homs maintaining this tradition since the earliest centuries of Christianity.
- 4
Reconstruction Progress
Walk through the areas of Homs old city where reconstruction is most advanced, the rebuilt houses, reopened shops, and returning families representing the human capacity for recovery from the devastating siege and bombardment the city endured.
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Traditional Houses
Find the surviving and restored traditional Homs houses with their stone facades and courtyard gardens, the domestic architecture of a Syrian city that developed its own distinctive character within the broader Levantine tradition.
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Returning Community
Meet returning Homs residents who fled the fighting and are now rebuilding their lives in the old city, the conversations of families reconnecting with their neighborhoods one of the most moving aspects of visiting this city in reconstruction.