Hama al-Nuri Mosque through time

Hama 1930–2014 7 photos of this spot

7 photographs taken at the same spot in Hama, spanning 1930–2014 — 3 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

An aerial view of Hama in 1930 showing the Orontes River running through the city, long known for its historic norias, the large wooden waterwheels used to raise water for irrigation.

Ifpo Syrie, gouvernorat de Hama, Hama traversée par l'Oronte, vue aérienne oblique 1930 An aerial view of Hama in 1930 showing the Orontes River running through the city, long known for its historic norias, the large wooden waterwheels used to raise water for irrigation.

Ifpo Syrie, gouvernorat de Hama, norias et aqueduc sur l’Oronte à Hama, vue aérienne oblique 1936 An oblique aerial view over Hama shows several of the city's historic norias, the large wooden waterwheels built to lift water from the Orontes River into stone aqueducts for irrigation. The image was captured in 1936 as part of a French Mandate-era aerial survey of Syria.

Ifpo Syrie, gouvernorat de Hama, trois norias de Hama, vue aérienne oblique 1937 Three of Hama's noted norias line the Orontes River in this 1936 aerial photograph, part of a series documenting the wooden waterwheels that have long supplied irrigation water to the city's gardens and fields.

Hama al-Nuri Mosque 2009 The al-Nuri Mosque in Hama, a mosque with origins going back centuries in the city's old quarter, is pictured in 2009. Its minaret has long stood near the banks of the Orontes River alongside the city's famous waterwheels.

Hama al-Nuri Mosque 2009 Another 2009 photograph of Hama's al-Nuri Mosque, one of the historic religious buildings in the city's old center. The mosque forms part of the historic core of Hama, close to the Orontes riverbank.

Noria in Hama 03 2010 One of Hama's famous norias, the large wooden waterwheels built along the Orontes River to lift water into aqueducts for irrigation, photographed in 2010. Some of Hama's norias date back centuries and remain a symbol of the city.

Kelaniyat Norias of Hama 2014 One of the historic norias, or wooden waterwheels, along the Orontes River in Hama, Syria, photographed in 2014. The wheels have drawn water from the river for irrigation for centuries and are among the city's best-known landmarks.