Hama

City in western Syria on the banks of the River Orontes, 120 km/74 mi southwest of Aleppo; population (1992) 254,000. It is Syria's fourth-largest city and is an important agricultural market centre for the Orontes valley; steel is also manufactured.

Hama was an important prehistoric and biblical settlement. Originally a Hittite city, it became the Kingdom of Hamath under the Aramaeans in the 11th century BC. The city was badly damaged during an Islamic anti-government uprising in 1982. The city contains norias, huge medieval waterwheels used for providing water and irrigation.