You can often hear a comparison of St. Petersburg with Northern Palmyra, but few people know what this comparison means and what, in fact, is meant by it.
In fact, Palmyra is a beautiful ancient city located in an oasis near Damascus in the Syrian Desert. In the first centuries of our era, this city was the capital, showing the heyday of this Arab state of the same name.
Proud city
Palmyra was one of the largest cities in the East, it had a peculiar culture, combining antiquity and oriental beauty. But in the first millennium, the city was forgotten due to the decline that befell it.
For the inhabitants of Europe, Palmyra opened only in 1678, the news of the city, which has preserved the stunning architecture of the past and the grandeur of its former luxury, was brought by merchants who passed through the desert near it. At that time, the city was ruled by Queen Zenobia, who was later glorified in many works, thanks to her courage to challenge Rome itself. History says that the queen took advantage of the strife in the Roman Empire, invaded his Egyptian possessions and skillfully conducted political negotiations, which resulted in the preserved independence of the small country. But it was strategically important for Rome to have a dependent state on the border with the Parthian kingdom.
Thanks to the political games of the ruler during the conquest of Syria and the Middle East by the legionaries, her city was still not annexed and enslaved.
This again made Palmyra a prosperous city, countless trade caravans passed through it in those days, food and jewelry were actively traded in local bazaars, and the presence of water, even rivers, in the very heart of the desert played a significant role. As for the legendary ruler, the authors of those times describe her as an incredibly beautiful and self-confident woman who herself led her campaigns and perfectly managed the command of the detachments.
Flattery for good
Perhaps the main reason for comparing St. Petersburg with Palmyra is the lifelessness of the territory where these cities were built. However, there is some flattering in this comparison. After the construction of St. Petersburg, many noble people were so delighted with the creation of Peter the Great that they began to use comparisons with Palmyra, meaning its prosperity and power, which in many ways flattered the ruler. It was flattered to Peter that he was like Zenobia in his wisdom and foresight.
Peter knew history well and supported this allusion in conversations, also repeatedly calling his city Northern Palmyra.
Now Palmyra is just a forgotten village belonging to Syria, which has lost all its former splendor. It is not surprising that in modern times so few people know about this city, once known to every city. But most of the ruins of the majestic buildings have survived to this day, among them the temple of the god Bel, clearly showing the features of the architecture of ancient Palmyra and the combination of Eastern and Roman cultures.
