PALMYRA, a City of Syria built by King Solomon. In Hebrew it was called Tadmor or Thamor1. It was situated in a Wilderness of Syria, upon the Borders of Arabia deserta, inclining towards Euphrates. Josephus2 places it two Days Journey from the upper Syria, one Days Journey from the Euphrates, and six Days Journey from Babylon. He says there is no Water any where else in the Wilderness, but in this Place. At this Day there are to be seen vast Ruines of this City. There was nothing more magnificent in the whole East. M. Halifax gives us a Description of it, which M. le Brun has inserted at Pag. 342 of his Voyages. There are still found a great Number of Inscriptions, the most of which are Greek, and the others in Palmyrenian Characters. Nothing relating to the Jews is seen in the Greek Inscriptions; and the Palmyrenian Inscriptions are intirely unknown, as well as the Language and the Characters of that Country. Albufeda places it to the East of Emesa, three Days Journey from this City, and three Days from Salamis. Alazizi reckons fifty nine Miles from Tadmor to Damascus.
The City of Palmyra preserved the Name of Tadmor to the Time of the Conquests of Alexander. Then it had the Name of Palmyra given it3, which it preserved for several Ages. About the Middle of the third Century it became famous, because Denatus and Zenobia his Queen made it the Seat of their Empire. When the Saracens became Masters of the East, they restored its antient Name of Tadmor to it again, which it has always preserved since. Its Situation is just the same as that of Ammon in Lybia, being in the midst of Deserts; for it is built in a kind of Island in the main Land, in the midst of an Ocean of Sand, and surrounded by sandy Deserts on all Sides. Its Situation between two powerful Empires, that of the Parthians to the East, and that of the Romans to the West, exposed it often to the utmost Danger in their Quarrels. But in Time of Peace it soon recovered it self again, by the Trade it had with both the Empires. For the Caravans of Persia and of the Indies, which now unload at Aleppo, then used to stop at Palmyra. From thence they carried the Merchandizes of the East, which came to them by Land, to the Ports of the Mediterranean, from whence they were spread through all the West; and the Merchandizes of the West returned to them again after the same Manner. The Caravans of the East carried them along with them at their Return.
It is surprizing that History gives us no Account, neither when, nor by whom Palmyra was reduced to the Condition it is in at this Day.
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