As one of the most magnificent ancient cities in the Mediterranean world under Roman domination, Palmyra has survived until now with its imposing temples, colonnades, sculptures, reliefs, and mosaics to awe every visitor to the site since its dramatic expansion in the first century AD. It rises in splendor in the middle of the Syrian Desert, at an important oasis that was doubtless the reason for its existence in the first place. Among the great cities of antiquity Palmyra is comparable only to Petra in Jordan, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Athenian Acropolis in Greece.

Glen Bowersock discusses Palmyra in The New York Review of Books Blog.