Aṭ-Ṭayba

Al-Taybah stands on the northern edge of the Syrian desert, on an old caravan route leading towards Resafa. Its walled settlement and tall minaret reflect a long history in the steppe north of Palmyra. Local accounts recall a succession of sacred buildings at the site, from an ancient temple to a church and then a mosque. Fields around the village formed an island of cultivation amid the dry country crossed by travellers and herders.