Palmyra
an ancient city, in a fruitful and well-watered oasis of the Syrian desert. It was the Tadmor or Thadmor of the Hebrews, founded, or enlarged by Solomon, about 1001 в. c.
Both its Greek name Palmyra, and its Hebrew name Tadmor, signify the city of palms, and the Arabs call it Tedmor.
It submitted to the Emperor Hadrian in 130, after having repelled Marc Antony about 58 B. c., and rose to its highest power in the 3d century. Sapor I., King of Persia, was defeated here by Odenathus in 262. Odenathus was murdered about 267, and his wife Zenobia assumed the title of Queen of the East.
Her army having been defeated at Antioch and at Emesa, Zenobia was besieged in her capital by the Emperor Aurelian in 272. She was taken prisoner, and Palmyra surrendered in 274. The citizens slew the Roman garrison, and Aurelian destroyed Palmyra. It was restored by Justinian I. in 527, and again destroyed by the Saracens in 744.
It was plundered by Tamerlane in 1400.
It had an immense temple dedicated to the sun, of which 60 columns out of 300 still remain.