Homs, central Syria (SANA) – The two clocks in Homs, the older one installed in the 1920s and the newer in the 1950s, are considered distinct landmarks in the city, recounting its development over the course of a century.

The Homs City Council decided to purchase the older clock in the 1920s during the French Mandate, and was installed in the plaza between Souk al-Jendi and Souk al-Faisal across from al-Fardous Movie Theater.

The plaza in which this clock is located leads to Shukri al-Quwatli Street and several other streets that contain some of most notable landmarks in Homs.

These landmarks include famous traditional cafés like al-Farah and al-Dababir, al-Sharq Movie Theater, and al-Rawda Park which once contained a café, a restaurant and a stage where some of the most famous Arab musicians like Abdulwahab and Oum Kolthoom performed, and where plays like Romeo and Juliet were staged.

The newer clock was constructed in the early 1950s, taking over a year to complete the four-faceted white stone structure housing it. Like its older counterpart, this clock overlooks Shukri al-Quwatli Street, which witnessed the first celebration of the evacuation of the French occupation from Syria in April 1946.

Homs is the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is located on the Orontes River 162 kilometers north of Damascus. The city is a major industrial center in Syria, and contains many historic mosques and churches, in addition to being close to the Krak des Chevaliers, a fortress listed on the world heritage list.

Homs is also known as "the City of Princesses" in reference to the four princesses or empresses of the Severan dynasty who ruled the city and the surrounding region from 187 to 235 AD, beginning with Julia Domna who gave birth to emperor Caracalla, then her older sister Julia Maesa, followed by the latter's daughters, Julia Soaemias and Julia Avita Mamaea, the second of which was the mother of Alexander Severus, the last emperor of the Severan dynasty.

H. Sabbagh / Zahra