Qarqar

#109 among destinations in Syria

Archaeological site

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Qarqar or Karkar is the name of an ancient town in northwestern Syria, known from Neo-Assyrian sources. It was the site of one of the most important battles of the ancient world, the battle of Qarqar, fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria, led by king Shalmaneser III, encountered an allied force comprising military units from 11 local kingdoms. The leaders of this ad hoc alliance were Hadadezer of Damascus and King Ahab of Israel. Shalmaneser's Assyrian forces had been victorious over Iruleni, the King of Hamath. However, a coalition of Phoenicians and Syrians with Israel and the Kedarite Arabs was waiting for Shalmaneser when he advanced south, leading to a second battle at Qarqar itself. ()

Local name: قرقور Coordinates: 35°44'33"N, 36°19'50"E

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HamahSyria

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Day trips

Qarqar – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Tell Qarqur, Zeyzoun Dam.

0.7 miS
Archaeological site
Tell Qarqur
17 min walk • Tell Qarqur is a major archaeological site located in the Orontes River Valley of western Syria. Situated in a rich alluvial plain known as the Ghab valley, the double-mounded site lies near the modern Syrian town of Jisr ash-Shugur and one kilometer west of the village of Qarqur.
2.7 miSE
Dam
Zeyzoun Dam
69 min walk • The Zeyzoun Dam is a failed embankment dam near Zayzun, Hama Governorate, Syria. It impounded water pumped from the nearby Orontes River. The dam was completed in 1996 and its primary purpose was the irrigation of about 14,000 ha. The dam's reservoir was filled in the winter and expended its water during the summer.