The Valley of the Tombs ( ar, وادي القبور, Wādī al-Qubūr) is a
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
at the west of
Palmyra
Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second ...
, Syria. It is one of the three necropoleis present around the ancient city. It is one kilometre long (0.62 mi), and easily recognizable by its tower-tombs, among which the former towers of Atenatan, Kitot, Iamblichus and
Elahbel where the earliest finds of
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
were made
and that were destroyed by
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
in 2015.
Tower-tombs
Tower of Atenatan
As worded by Anna Witecka, "The tower-tomb of Atenatan is the earliest dated tomb in the Palmyrene necropolis. The date of the tower, established by an inscription, is 9 B.C. and the date of the fall of Palmyra in 273 A.D. must be accepted as the ''terminus ante quem''. Built of irregular stones, the tower is quadrangular and narrows toward the top." As described by J. M. C. Toynbee, the tomb "has a facade of limestone blocks and a panelled stone door, composed of two wings that turn on pivots, above which is the slab for a bilingual Greek and
Palmyrene (Araméenne) inscription."
Tower of Kitot
The Tower of Kitot dated from 40 AD.
Tower of Iamblichus
The Tomb of Iamblichus dated to AD 81
It is about 58 feet high.
Tower of Elahbel
See also
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Hypogeum of Yarhai
The Hypogeum of Yarhai is a hypogeum (underground tomb) from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra which flourished in the second and third centuries AD. It is considered one of the finest examples of Palmyrene funerary art. It's a mass grave which wa ...
References
Sources
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Palmyra
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Necropoleis
Buildings and structures destroyed by ISIL
Ruins in Syria