Hama

This article is about the city in Syria. For other uses, see Hama (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Hamas.

Hama حَمَاة
City
Hama skyline Norias of Hama Great Mosque of Hama Khan Rustem Pasha Al-Azm Palace
Nicknames:  Mother of Norias (أم النواعير) City of Abulfeda (مدينة أبي الفداء)
Interactive map of Hama
Hama Location in Syria Hama Hama (Eastern Mediterranean) Hama Hama (Asia)
Coordinates: 35°08′06″N 36°45′00″E
Country	Syria
Governorate	Hama Governorate
District	Hama District
Subdistrict	Hama Subdistrict
First settled	15th century BCE
Elevation	305 m (1,001 ft)
Population  (2010)
• Total	546 604
• Ethnicities	Syrians
• Religions	Sunni Islam Syriac Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church
Demonym(s)	Arabic: حموي, romanized: Ḥamawiyy
Time zone	UTC+3 (AST)
Area codes	Country code: +963 City code: 33
Geocode	C2987
Climate	BSk

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Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 km (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of around 600-800 thousands (2026), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.

The city is renowned for its seventeen norias, which are claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for irrigation, the norias are used purely for show today and function solely as a tourist attraction and a symbol of the city.