Did you know that Palmyra is one of the largest cities in Syria? The city has an impressive array of civic buildings and temples. It was also one of the most luxurious cities in all of Syria, and it was built using local pale gold limestone. Its famous Agora was the main public meeting place in the first century, and it is similar to the one in other Graeco-Roman cities.
The early socio-political organization of Palmyra is based on the inscriptions and records found in the city. Four tribes, the Bene Komare, the Arab tribe Bene Maazin, and the western tribe Bene Mattabol, settled in different parts of the city. Each tribe had its own cult temple, but the temple of Bel was considered the representative of all of Palmyra.
The city is economically thriving. The nearby Hershey Chocolate Company has its headquarters in Palmyra, and several other companies have their headquarters here. The town is home to ASK Foods, Inc., Dechert Dynamics Corp., and Klick-Lewis, Inc., as well as the Seltzer's Lebanon Bologna Co., which produces a popular deli sandwich.
In 2014, the population of Palmyra City was 3,253. This means that there were almost 24% of the town's population who were under the age of 20. Those in their 20s and older made up another 11.4%. A quarter of the households were non-families. Another quarter of the town's population was comprised of seniors, with 10.2% living alone. The male-to-female ratio was 98.2. The town's average household size was 2.44.