Orontes river in the context of "Hama"

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⭐ Core Definition: Orontes river

The Orontes (/ɔːˈrɒntz/; from Ancient Greek Ὀρόντης, Oróntēs) or Nahr al-ʿĀṣī, or simply Asi (Arabic: العاصي, romanizedal-‘Āṣī, IPA: [alˈʕaːsˤiː]; Turkish: Asi) is a 571 kilometres (355 mi) long river in Western Asia that begins in Lebanon, flowing northwards through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Hatay Province, Turkey.

As the chief river of the northern Levant, the Orontes has been the site of many major battles including the Battle of Kadesh (13th century BCE), and water distribution remains a controversial issue between the countries in the region. Among the most important cities on the river are Homs, Hama, Jisr al-Shughur, and Antakya (the ancient Antioch, which was also known as "Antioch on the Orontes").

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Orontes river in the context of Apamea (Syria)

Apamea (Greek: Ἀπάμεια, Apameia; Arabic: أفامية, romanizedafāmiyah), on the right bank of the Orontes River, was an ancient Greek and Roman city. It was the capital of Apamene under the Macedonians, became the capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric of late Roman province Syria Secunda, again in the crusader period.

Amongst the impressive ancient remains, the site includes the Great Colonnade which ran for nearly 2 km (1.2 mi) making it among the longest in the Roman world and the Roman Theatre, one of the largest surviving theatres of the Roman Empire with an estimated seating capacity in excess of 20,000.

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Orontes river in the context of Triparadisus

Triparadeisos or Triparadisus (Greek: Τριπαράδεισος) was a settlement in Syria near the sources of the Orontes. A paradeisos was a hunting reserve or pleasure-ground for the nobility of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire, normally a walled-in area with groves of trees, wild animals, and running water.

Triparadeisos was the place where the Treaty of Triparadisus occurred, in which Alexander the Great's Empire was divided between his generals in 321 BC. It has been suggested that it was at the site of Roman Heliopolis (modern Baalbek). Heliopolis was a colony of the Roman Empire in what is now Lebanon. The name was Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Heliopolitana.

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Orontes river in the context of Jisr al-Shughur

Jisr ash-Shughūr (Arabic: جِسْرُ ٱلشُّغُورِ, romanizedjisr aš-šuġūr, pronounced [dʒɪsr aʃ.ʃuˈɣuːr], also rendered as Jisser ash-Shughour and other spellings), known in antiquity as Seleucobelus (Greek: Σελευκόβηλος, romanizedSeleukóbēlos), is a city in the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. Situated at an altitude of 170 metres (560 ft) above sea level on the Orontes river. The city was the headquarters of the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria during the civil war.

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Orontes river in the context of Deir Mar Maroun

The Monastery of Saint Maron (Arabic, latinized: Deir Mar Maroun), also called the Cave of the Monks, is an ancient cavern initially developed as a refuge structure by the Romans and later used as a Maronite monastery and carved out of solid rock in the side of a cliff. It is located around 200 metres (660 ft) from Ain ez Zarqa, the source of the Orontes river, south of Hermel in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, northern Lebanon.

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Orontes river in the context of Meliboea

In Greek mythology, Meliboea /ˌmɛlɪˈbə/ or Meliboia (Ancient Greek: Μελίβοια) was a name attributed to the following individuals:

  • Meliboea, daughter of the Titan Oceanus possibly by his sister-wife Tethys. She was the Oceanid who became the mother of King Lycaon of Arcadia with Pelasgus. She was also loved by the river god Orontes, who stopped his waters out of love for her, flooding the land.
  • Meliboea, mother of Alector by Magnes, who named the town of Meliboea in Thessaly after her. The town of Meliboea became a kingdom in eastern Thessalia (north Magnesia). Nowadays, Meliboea (Melivoia) is a municipality of Larissa regional unit. The exact place of ancient Meliboia is not known.
  • Meliboea, alias Chloris of Thebes, the only Niobid spared when Artemis and Apollo killed the rest. She was so horrified at the sight of her siblings' deaths that she stayed greenishly pale for the rest of her life, and for that reason she was dubbed Chloris ("the pale one").
  • Meliboea, a maiden of Ephesus. She loved a young man named Alexis, but her parents betrothed her to another man, and Alexis had to leave the city. By divine intervention she was carried to the place where Alexis lived. The reunited lovers dedicated two temples to Aphrodite.
  • Meliboea, mother of Phellus, according to Hesiod. Both mother and son are otherwise unknown.
  • Meliboea is also an alternate name for Periboea or Eriboea, mother of Ajax the Great, who was also said to have been married to Theseus.
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