Things to do in Hama
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Al-Mohammediyya
Hama's most distinctive attractions are its norias, wooden water wheels up to 20m in diameter (the equivalent in height of a four- or five-storey building), which have graced the town for centuries. The land around the Orontes is considerably higher than the river itself, which is deeply incised into its rocky bed, making it hard to irrigate. The norias were constructed to scoop water from the river and deposit it into aqueducts, which then channelled it to nearby fields and gardens.
There have been norias in Hama since at least the 5th century AD, as attested by a mosaic displayed in Hama's new museum, but the wheels seen today are the design of the 13th-centruy Ayyubids…
reviewed
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Central Norias
Hama's most distinctive attractions are its norias, wooden water wheels up to 20m in diameter (the equivalent in height of a four- or five-storey building), which have graced the town for centuries. The land around the Orontes is considerably higher than the river itself, which is deeply incised into its rocky bed, making it hard to irrigate. The norias were constructed to scoop water from the river and deposit it into aqueducts, which then channelled it to nearby fields and gardens.
There have been norias in Hama since at least the 5th century AD, as attested by a mosaic displayed in Hama's new museum, but the wheels seen today are the design of the 13th-centruy Ayyubids…
reviewed
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Hama Museum
Hama's excellent regional Hama Museum, located about 1km from the centre, is housed on the ground floor of a striking sandstone building. Each room is devoted to a particular era, including Neolithic and Palaeolithic, the Iron Age, Roman and Islamic. There's some interesting material on finds at the citadel mound, including a splendid 2.5m-high, 10-tonne black basalt lion that once guarded the entrance to an Iron Age palace.
Other stand-out items are some intricate 8th-century bronze and gold-leaf figurines with blue lapis eyes; an exquisitely rendered 3rd-century mosaic, depicting a group of young women playing music and dancing; and a fragment of a 5th-century Byzantin…
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Azem Palace
Ross Burns, historian and author of the sage Monuments of Syria, regards the Azem Palace as 'one of the loveliest Ottoman residential buildings in Syria'. It's the former residence of the governor Asaad Pasha al-Azem, who ruled the town from 1742. The palace has strong echoes of the more grandiose building of the same name in Damascus, which is hardly surprising as the latter was also built by Al-Azem after he was transferred to the capital.
Burns singles out the haramlik (family or women's quarters), the area to the right of the entrance, as being particularly noteworthy.
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Mosque of Abu al-Feda
Looking north from the tell, just over the river, you'll see the small Mosque of Abu al-Feda, resting place of the 14th-century soldier-turned-poet of that name, who was also a noted historian, astronomer and botanist. His treatise on geography was a major source for European cartographers from the Renaissance onwards. He was elevated to become emir of Hama in 1320.
During his rule, Abu al-Feda commissioned his own mosque and tomb beside the Orontes in what he wrote was 'one of the most delectable of spots'.
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Grand Mosque
About 400m southwest of the citadel is the Grand Mosque, which, after being almost completely destroyed in the fighting of 1982, has since been faithfully restored. It was originally built by the Umayyads in the 8th century, along the lines of their great mosque in Damascus. It had a similar history, having been converted from a church that itself had stood on the site of a pagan temple.
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Le Jardin
Overlooking the splendid An-Nuri Mosque, river and water wheels, and serving alcohol, this leafy, terrace café-restaurant is a wonderful place to while away a few hours puffing on a nargileh as you take in the atmosphere. Local families love it here, and on weekends fill their tables with plates of mezze and kebabs. It's part of the Apamee Cham Palace; credit cards are accepted.
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Broasted Fawaz
In the couple of blocks along Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli and its side streets, there are a number of cheap felafel, shwarma, kebab and chicken restaurants. Go to any that seem to be doing the most business with the locals. A long-standing favourite is Broasted Fawaz, for its deliciously succulent hot chickens and freshly fried hot potato crisps with garlic sauce.
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Al-Mamuriyya
Approach the Old Town from the south, pass the riverside Choob coffeehouse, then swing off to the right, just before what looks like an arched gate but is in fact part of an old aqueduct. The lane passes the oddly named Oriental Batman, then turns north just before Al-Mamuriyya , a noria that dates from 1453.
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Four Norias
On the banks of the river beside the norias, around 500m east of the centre, this large open-air terrace restaurant is popular with groups and families and gets lively on summer evenings. There's a long list of mezze and kebabs, and costumed boys serving nargileh. No alcohol; no cards accepted.
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Al-Atlal
On a tree-shaded terrace beside the river, this casual restaurant serves up the usual mezze and meaty grills, as well as hamburgers and pizza. It's the first place on the left as you walk east from the centre along Sharia al-Buhturi. No alcohol is served; credit cards aren't accepted.
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Oriental Batman
Approach the Old Town from the south, pass the riverside Choob coffeehouse, then swing off to the right, just before what looks like an arched gate but is in fact part of an old aqueduct. The lane passes the oddly named Oriental Batman, a junky antique-cum-bric-a-brac shop.
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Artists' Palace
The so-called Artists' Palace occupies a former khan, or travellers' inn; the old storerooms are now used as makeshift studio and exhibition spaces for local artists, some of whose work is for sale. The khan doesn't really compare with those seen in Damascus and Aleppo.
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Khan Rustum Pasha
The two noteworthy khans that Hama does possess have long since been pressed into other uses: Khan Rustum Pasha (1556), just south of the town centre on Sharia al-Murabet, is an orphanage (although it's occasionally open to the public as an exhibition space).
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Sultan Restaurant
This café-restaurant in a lovely waterside stone building was closed for renovation at the time of research, but the owners assured us that opening was imminent. To get here, pass through the low, vaulted tunnel beside the An-Nuri Mosque.
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An-Nadi Coffeehouse
An open-air coffeehouse, An-Nadi Coffeehouse , is next to the big city-centre noria and facing the Choob Coffeehouse across the river. It is frequented predominantly by men, so some women may not feel comfortable here.
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Choob Coffeehouse
The open-air Choob Coffeehouse is set in a garden of shady eucalyptus trees and has views of the river and norias. It is frequented predominantly by men, so some women may not feel comfortable here.
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Family Club
At the rear of a building a block north of the Orthodox Church, this church club welcomes anybody to its open-air terrace restaurant on the 1st floor. The food is good - it's the usual Syrian staples.
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Khan Asad Pasha
The two noteworthy khans that Hama does possess have long since been pressed into other uses: Khan Asad Pasha (1751), also on Sharia al-Murabet but further south, is now a local Ba'ath Party branch.
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Souq
Hama was never a great trading centre and today its main Souq is modest, with hardly any of the great commercial khans that fill the old cities of Aleppo and Damascus.
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Al Afrah Cafeteria
Almost anytime you can pick up dessert at Al Afrah Cafeteria, an ornate, old-fashioned, marble-fronted café where locals line up for the sweets with sugar syrup.
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An-Nuri Mosque
A short distance north of Azem Palace is the splendid riverside An-Nuri Mosque, built by the Muslim commander Nureddin, uncle of Saladin, in the late 12th century.
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Liquor Stores
You can get takeaway beer at a couple of Liquor Stores at the northern end of Sharia al-Mutanabi, near the citadel.
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Market
For fruit there is a good little Market just off the western end of Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatli.
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Hammam al-Uthmaniyya
The historic Hammam al-Uthmaniyya, is spotlessly clean and popular with the locals.
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