Hims, city in western Syria, on the Orontes River. Known in antiquity as Emesa, the city had a temple to the sun god, in which the Roman emperor Heliogabalus, a native of Hims, was at one time a priest. The town was made a Roman colony under Emperor Caracalla in the early part of the 3rd century. Rebelling Syrian forces under Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, were defeated here by the Roman army of Emperor Lucius Domitius Aurelian in 273. In 636 the town was captured by the Arabs. The chief industry in the city is the manufacture of silk. Population 540,133 (1994).Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Hims Information info
|
