Homs

Homs, the ancient Emesa, lies on the Orontes river in western Syria and is the capital of Homs Governorate. In the Roman period it was ruled by an Arab dynasty and was a centre of worship of the sun god Elagabal, whose hereditary high priest became the emperor Elagabalus (reigned 218-222). Forces under Khalid ibn al-Walid took the city in 637, and it became an important city of Bilad al-Sham; Khalid died in 642 and Homs is traditionally his burial place, where his mosque and tomb stand. The city later passed through Umayyad, Abbasid, Hamdanid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman rule.