Homs
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Understand
With a population of 1.6 million, Homs is the third large city in Syria after the capital Damascus and Aleppo. It is centrally positioned in Syria and is home to Al-Baath University among other institutes. There are many restaurants and hotels. The old name for the city of Homs is "Emissa" or "Emizza" but in standard Arabic it is called "Hims" and "Homs" is its informal name.
Get in
There is no airport in Homs; however, you can reach the city by taxi, private car, or bus from the airports at Damascus, Aleppo, or Lattakia, or other ports of you are arriving from outside of Syria. There are bus stations in every city which provide service to reach Homs.
See
There are many places where tourists frequently visit in Homs including: Khaled ibnul Waleed Masjed (in Arabic: مسجد خالد بن الوليد), Alnoori Grand Masjed (in Arabic: المسجد النوري الكبير), Ommel Zinnar Church (in Arabic:كنيسة أم الزنار) and other places. There are many Masjeds in Homs: Masjed Qubaa in Alinsha'at, Omer ibnul Khattab in Ghouta, and Masjed Arra'es in Alwa'er.
Citadel of HomsBuilt on an ancient tell dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, a castle has been standing here since Roman times. However, it is mostly associated with the medieval knight Usama ibn Munqidh and the castle is often referred to as Osama castle. The ancient structures where leveled during the 1830s and nowadays only ruins remains.
Khalid ibn al-Walid MosqueNoted for its Ottoman-Turkish architectural style, the mosque is dedicated to Khalid ibn al-Walid, an Arab military commander who led the Muslim conquest of Syria in the 7th century following the decisive Battle of Yarmouk, which put an end to Byzantine rule in Syria.
Do
Go to the mountains, 45 km from the city center :
Mashta el Helou
Marmarita
Jwykhat
Crack des Chevalier
There you can enjoy the cool weather, the beautiful view, or camp if you have a tent. A camping permit might be needed.
Mashta el Helou
Marmarita
Jwykhat
Crack des Chevalier
There you can enjoy the cool weather, the beautiful view, or camp if you have a tent. A camping permit might be needed.
Eat
There are many restaurants in Homs in Ghouta street and Hamra street and others near city center.
If you are just passing though the city, definitely try the "labneh shawarma" at the big food stall inside the Homs bus station.
Drink
You can find many pubs and bars to have a drink, specially in Al Hamidiya street
and some in Al hadara Street.
try Arak the local Syrian drink
and some in Al hadara Street.
try Arak the local Syrian drink
Sleep
There are many Hotels in Homs, Assafeer Hotel in Alinsha'at is the most popular (5 stars), Homs Grand Hotel (HGH) and others cheaper Hotel near the city center and the Damascus road (in Arabic:طريق الشام) .
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phone: +963 31 211 2400address: Ragheb Al Jamali St