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HAMAH

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 869 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HAMAH , the Hamath of the See also:

Bible, a Hittite royal See also:city, situated in the narrow valley of the See also:Orontes, 110 See also:English See also:miles N. (by E.) of See also:Damascus. It finds a See also:place in the See also:northern boundaries of See also:Israel under See also:David, See also:Solomon and See also:Jeroboam II. (2 Sam. viii. 9; 1 See also:Kings viii. 65; 2 Kings )iv. 25). The Orontes flows winding past the city and is spanned by four See also:bridges. On the See also:south-See also:east the houses rise 15o ft. above the See also:river, and there are four other hills, that of the Kalah or See also:castle being to the See also:north roo ft. high. Twenty-four minarets rise from the various mosques. The houses are principally of mud, and the See also:town stands amid See also:poplar gardens with a fertile See also:plain to the See also:west. The castle is ruined, the streets are narrow and dirty, but the bazaars are See also:good, and the See also:trade with the See also:Bedouins considerable.

The numerous See also:

water-wheels (naurah,) of enormous See also:dimension, raising water from the Orontes are the most remarkable features of the view. See also:Silk, woollen and See also:cotton goods are manufactured. The See also:population is about 40,000. In the See also:year 854 B.C. Hamath was taken by See also:Shalmaneser II., See also:king of See also:Assyria, who defeated a large See also:army of allied Hamathites, Syrians and Israelites at Karkor and slew 14,000 of them. In 738 B.C. Tiglath Pileser III. reduced the city to See also:tribute, and another See also:rebellion was crushed by See also:Sargon in 720 B.C. The down-fall of so See also:ancient a See also:state made a See also:great impression at See also:Jerusalem (Isa. x. 9). According to 2 Kings xvii. 24, 30, some of its See also:people were transported to the See also:land of N. Israel, where they made images of Ashima or Eshmun (probably See also:Ishtar).

After the Macedonian See also:

conquest of See also:Syria Hamath was called Epiphania by the Greeks in See also:honour of See also:Antiochus IV., Epiphanes, and in the See also:early See also:Byzantine See also:period it was known by both its See also:Hebrew and its See also:Greek name. In A.D. 639 the town surrendered to See also:Abu 'Obeida, one of See also:Omar's generals, and the See also:church was turned into a See also:mosque. In A.D. 1108 See also:Tancred captured the city and massacred the Ism'aileh defenders. In 1115 it was retaken by the Moslems, and in 1178 was occupied by See also:Saladin. See also:Abulfeda, See also:prince of Hamah in the early See also:part of the 14th See also:century, is well known as an authority on Arab See also:geography.

End of Article: HAMAH

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