Palmyra: the desert oasis city on Syria's World Heritage List
Background
The Site of Palmyra is an oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, in the Province of Homs.
UNESCO says the art and architecture of Palmyra married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.
A grand, colonnaded street of 1100 metres' length forms the monumental axis of the city.
The great temple of Ba'al is considered one of the most important religious buildings of the 1st century AD in the East.
The property was inscribed in 1980 and covers 1,640 ha, with a buffer zone of 16,800 ha.
It has stood on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2013.
In plain words
Oasis — A fertile, watered spot in a desert where settlement and farming are possible.
Colonnade — A long row of columns carrying a roof or arches, used to line grand streets in ancient cities.
Buffer zone — The protected belt around a World Heritage property that shields it from damaging change nearby.