Hama

Hama حَمَاة
City
Hama skyline Norias of Hama Azem Palace Khan Rustem Pasha Nur al-Din Mosque Al-Hassanein Mosque
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Mother of Norias (أم النواعير) City of Abulfeda (مدينة أبي الفداء)
Hama Location in Syria Show map of Syria Hama Hama (Eastern Mediterranean) Show map of Eastern Mediterranean Hama Hama (Asia) Show map of Asia
Coordinates: 35°8′6″N 36°45′0″E / 35.13500°N 36.75000°E / 35.13500; 36.75000
Country	Syria
Governorate	Hama Governorate
District	Hama District
Subdistrict	Hama Subdistrict
Control	Syrian transitional government
First settled	1500BC~
Elevation	305 m (1,001 ft)
Population  (2023 census)
• Total	996,000[1]
• Ethnicities	Syrians
• Religions	Sunni Islam Syriac Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church
Demonym(s)	Arabic: حموي, romanized: Ḥamwi
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code(s)	Country code: +963 City code: 33
Geocode	C2987
Climate	BSk
Website	www.ehama.sy

Hama (Arabic: حَمَاة Ḥamāh, [ħaˈmaː]; Syriac: ܚܡܳܬ, romanized: ħ(ə)mɑθ, lit. 'fortress'; Biblical Hebrew: חֲמָת, romanized: Ḥămāṯ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 km (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, with Damascus, Aleppo and Homs, it is also home to the dessert of Halawet el Jibn.^[2][3]

The city is renowned for its seventeen norias used for watering the gardens, which are claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for irrigation, the norias today are purely for show for the local population.