Global Treasures: Palmyra

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1260

UPC: 879061008597

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

The ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra rise up into the desert sky of Syria. The Hadrian Gate was built in the 2nd century AD and highlights the glorious past of this once important trading metropolis in the Near East.

Flanked by columns, a majestic 1200-metre-long avenue was once Palmyra's main street. Along with many of the city's other buildings, it also has an impressive theatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD and was discovered in the 1950's. For some years it has once again served as a place of entertainment, as each spring it features a festival.

Close to the Agora, once a farmer's market, is Palmyra's striking main landmark, the Tetrapylon. It forms the junction between the main avenue and a side road that leads to the city's necropolis.

The subterranean Hypogeum of the Three Brothers contains almost 400 burial corridors and numerous artistic sculptures and frescos.

From the 7th century AD, the magnificent trading metropolis gradually fell into decline and was almost completely wiped from the map. Thankfully however, today the atmospheric ruins serve as a reminder of Palmyra's glorious past.