Salamiyya

Salamiyya lies on the edge of the Syrian steppe east of Hama, between the cultivated Orontes valley and the desert. In the ninth century it was a residence of early Ismaili imams and a centre from which the Ismaili mission was directed before the rise of the Fatimid caliphate. Its position made it a meeting place of settled and pastoral country, but also exposed it to raids and the changing fortunes of the roads across the steppe.

The town gradually lost importance under Ottoman rule. Travellers in the early nineteenth century found Salamiyya deserted and in ruins, its old fort standing among abandoned buildings. The loss of protection against raids contributed to the decline of settlement in the district. Yet the town's earlier connection with the Ismaili imams remained part of its history, long after its inhabitants had left the once important centre.