Hama

Hama حَمَاة ܚܡܬ
City
Hama skyline Norias of Hama Azem Palace Khan Rustem Pasha Nur al-Din Mosque
Nicknames:  Mother of Norias (أم النواعير) City of Abulfeda (مدينة أبي الفداء)
Hama Location in Syria Hama Hama (Eastern Mediterranean) Hama Hama (Asia)
Coordinates: 35°8′6″N 36°45′0″E
Country	Syria
Governorate	Hama Governorate
District	Hama District
Subdistrict	Hama Subdistrict
First settled	15th century BCE
Elevation	305 m (1,001 ft)
Population  (2023 census)
• Total	996,000
• Ethnicities	Syrians
• Religions	Sunni Islam Syriac Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church
Demonym(s)	Arabic: حموي, romanized: Ḥamwi
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Area codes	Country code: +963 City code: 33
Geocode	C2987
Climate	BSk
Website	www.ehama.sy

Hama (Arabic: حَمَاة Ḥamāh, ar) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 km (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, with Damascus, Aleppo and Homs, Also notably being the only Governorate with no land borders with any foreign countries, Hama is also known for its Cheese-making tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.

The city is renowned for its seventeen norias used for watering the gardens, Which are claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for irrigation, the norias, Today they are purely for show and currently serve no direct purpose, it's used as a tourist attraction and a symbol of the city.