A Look into the Region

A remnant of the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra adorns the cover of this issue of the journal. The colonnaded street of the city's main marketplace remains with the central passageway adorned by a victory arch and pedestrian paths on either side. The city was considered a vital trade station for consumer goods by the Romans as they expanded their empire eastward in the second century A.D. Referred to as Antiquity's "City of Caravans", Palmyra was an oasis in the middle of the torrid Syrian desert and is considered by experts to be one of the most interesting archaeological sites in the world. The Arabic name for Palmyra, Tadmor, probably stems from the Semitic word tamr (date-the fruit), and in caves not far from the city, archaeologists have found traces of human habitation going back as much as 75,000 years. Later known as "City of Palms", Palmyra is considered a "must" by all visitors to Syria.