Hama

Hama's seventeen norias — waterwheel monuments on the Orontes River claimed to date back to 1100 BC — are the defining image of this west-central Syrian city, today functioning as the city's most visited landmark. The centre has a walkable café and restaurant scene, and the city has a long cheesemaking tradition reflected in its signature dessert, Halawet el Jibn. Much of the old city was destroyed in the 1982 Hama massacre, a fact that shapes what visitors find today.

• Population460,602
• Nearest water from center 1.1 km0.7 mi
• Nearest mountain from center 2.4 km1.5 mi