Ar Raqqah, also known as Rakka, city in north central Syria, capital of Raqqah province. Ar Raqqah is located in the Al Jazirah region on the north bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 km (about 100 mi) east of the city of Halab (Aleppo). Since the mid-1970s much of Ar Raqqah's economy has depended on the development of nearby oil fields and the construction of the Tabaqah Dam. A paved road and a winding railway connect Ar Raqqah with Damascus and Halab. The city also sits beside a long irrigation channel that crosses the Al Jazirah region at the Turkish border and runs south to Iraq.
Ar Raqqah has a small archaeological museum, and government archaeologists have excavated many city ruins that date from the Abbasid period (AD 750-1258). Some of the best-preserved remains of the old city today are the Palace of the Maidens, built in the 9th century, and the Great Mosque, built in the 8th century. A number of Muslim saints are buried in the ruins of the old city.
