Al-Qaryatayn
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Al-Qaryatayn القريتين Karyatayn |
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|---|---|
| Town | |
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 Al-Qaryatayn
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| Coordinates: 34°13′42″N 37°14′26″E / 34.22833°N 37.24056°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | Homs |
| District | Homs |
| Subdistrict | Al-Qaryatayn |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 14,208 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+3) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+2) |
Al-Qaryatayn (Arabic: القريتين, also spelled Karyatayn, Qaratin or Cariatein) is a town in central Syria, administratively part of the Homs Governorate located southeast of Homs. It is situated on an oasis in the Syrian Desert. Nearby localities include Tadmur (Palmyra) to the northeast, Furqlus to the north, al-Riqama and Dardaghan to the northwest, Mahin, Huwwarin and Sadad to the west, Qarah, Deir Atiyah and al-Nabk to the southwest and Jayrud to the south. Al-Qaryatayn translates as "the two villages".
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qaryatayn had a population of 14,208 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the al-Qaryatayn nahiyah ("subdistrict") which consists of three localities with a collective population of 16,795 in 2004. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims and Christians.
The city was known to the Amorites as Nazala and served as the governorate of the crown prince of Qatna such as Amut-pî-el (1750 BC). It was also mentioned in the Amarna letters.
There are numerous Greco-Roman-era buildings located in al-Qaryatayn, including an extensive sanitarium known as Hamaam Balkis ("Bath of Sheba"). During Roman rule, it served as a popular health resort, and a base for the legionary cavalry unit "Equites Promoti Indigenae". There are also a number of Corinthian columns and marble ornaments that date from this era, when nearby Palmyra was a major city in the region; Palmyrene inscriptions were found in the city written by Palmyrene residents and dedicated to the "Great God of Nazala". Prior to Islamic rule in the 7th century CE, the Ghassanids had a military installation in the town.
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