Amrit
	Tal Kazal The natural site of Tal Kazal area between Lebanon mountains and Lattakia mountains , penetrated by the great river, Al-Abrash river , Samerian river , and small rivers such as Al-Bared and Arka, is a joint between the Mediterranean Sea and interior Syria, and vice versa . It was called '' Homs gap '' by the historians and the geographers , and it occupied an important place in the history of Syria and Palestine where it  occupied a complete part of the Canaanite – Amorite culture according to the local and international viewpoint . In Tal Kazal (in Akkar plain ),the city of Somor existed as the main center of the region and a capital of a coastal               kingdom.The hill measures : / 325 m / long and / 200 m / wide , and its sides are very decadence which refer that it was bordered by a wall which a part of it was discovered during the digs in / 1986 / .www.tartoos.com It was mentioned in the books of some historians such as Pellini , Astrabon , Ptolemy , the genesis , and the annuals of Tahotmas the 3rd  when he talked about an assault which was done by Tajlat Klaser the 1st  ( The late of 12th century – beginning of the 11th century B.C ) .He says that this king traveled on the boats of Arwad for three double hours to Simira and hunted a sea horse . Leaning on the recently known instances and references , Somor and its region had appeared on the international political affairs by the Pharaohs of the 18th family ( The modern Egyptian Kingdom ) , restrictedly in / 1460 / B.C . For a while , it formed the northern borders of the Egyptian Empire , and Somor was the residential city of the Egyptian ruler , the centering place of the Egyptian army , a base of the Egyptian military raids toward Syria , and a main site ought to be occupied because it controls the communications between the west , east ,and south , also, it is a startegic aisle to Kadish ( Prophet Mand hill ) – south of Homs .  It controls the crossing ways and the borders area.The control mission was so hard for the far central government and Somor had to catch the chance in order to play a major role and have the commercial utility benefiting from its site like any local country .www.tartoos.com It seems that the tumular country of this area was the site of Amoro Kingdom , and this is known from the royalist chancery of Al-Amarnah – Egypt . The Hittite chancery in bogazkoy ( The Anatole ) , and in Uagrite chancery between the two empires (The Egyptian and Hittite ) . The activities of Amoro kings were so important , for instance , we read in Al-Amarnah hill letter ( No . 101 ) , that Pharaoh Amonophis the 3rd   addressed  Amoro Abid – Ashirta , the Amorite sagamore , to assign him the mission of protecting the interests in Syria . Probably , the later had the chance to enlarge his regions , political , and economical weight from Somor to Byblos gates . His son Aziro had followed the same policy. He became more and more independent , enlarged his regions and power , outnumbered his raids and allieds from Ugarite  to Saidoun along the coast , also inside the country , and had destroyed the unaligned city of Somor before his surrender to Shobilolima, the Great Hittite tyrant . And when the Pharaoh of Egypt asked him to rebuild it , Aziro promised to do that in a year , but the pressure of the enemies on him was so hard . This Kingdom moved to authority of the Hittite empire about / 1350 / B.C. till its end about / 1200 / B.C . www.tartoos.com Somor had reached it utmost abilities in the political and economical development through its fleet , overseas relations , or using new area of woody hill for agriculture . By doing this , it made a new way . Consequently , this helped to double the relations with the internal Syrian cities . So , it was really the major site in the area even before the appearance of the Modern Egyptian Kingdom . By its fall , a new division happened in its contestant area. So, the sea- lanes became under the authority of Arwad , and the caravans' ways in Amoro hands . And it had a little importance during the Assyrian era , flourished during the Persian era , became subject to Arwad when Alexandar came , had a civilizational level during the Hellenistic era , declined during the Roman era,and became a military station for watching without any important buildings . It was eradicated Just as a lot of the distributed ports along the Phoenician coast such as Arwad , Carna and Maratos . The small towns vanished on the behalf of the big cities . Consequently , Tartous city came into existence.www.tartoos.com
	Archaeological digs were done at Tal Kazal in / 1956 / by Mr. Donan jointly with the General Office of Ruins and Musuems ( Prof. Nasseb Salibi ) . Immediately , the Hellenistic layer appeared with its fictile fractions , then the  Iron Age with fictile vessels,then the Modern Bronze layer . And fictile fractions decorated by black and red linear decorations ,appeared.The appearance of the fractions,the Phoenician and Cyperian vessels , fractions of priest' head from the Presian era , the ( 1st and 2nd ) Iron age , a the Mid Bronze , and a part of the wall ,had proceeded . The inhabitants quitted the hill to the next village that carries its name . The digs were resumed in / 1985 / by a co-expedition of the General Office of Ruins  and Musuems and the American University .The successive results yielded good groups of ruins , which go back to different times / Egyptian – Presian / , Phoenician letters ( 2 pcs ) , a silver coin , and number of Bronze coins . Also , it yielded the wall , whose history might be defined by strate-graphy , that is connected to the inner side of the hill , parts of fictile statues which represent priest's head of different from , and go back to the Iron Age / 7 – 9 / century B.C , fictile vessels from the Bronze Age / 14 / century B.C , and land marks of a palace from the / 11 / century B.C . whose walls are built of sandstones and adobe , covered by daub , then by sea shells , and this is a unique phenomena which appears for the first time in the area . Also , fictile cups and colored incense vessels, which were found , were used in the temples , and they are from the / 13 – 14 / century B.C . This refers that there was a temple . The remains of its walls , also , are pixed by huge sandstones , and of a paved surface which indicates the existence of an important building . The future digs will uncover these land marks ,reveal them clearly , and show the history of this area and   its contribution in the chain of the human rise and development .
	The reference books : - Archaeological digs seasons : Dr. Laila Badr . - The Study of Homs gap : Talman . - The study of Homs gap : Jan Sabon . - The archaeological annuals : Vol . 36 – 37 . Tal Basis It is one of the biggest hill in the area , which forms a joint among the archaeological hills / Araka – Al jamous …. / . And over topped by Hellenistic parts , and some Roman and Hellenistic coins . Dr. Talman made some digs in / 1987 / , making use of a water well / digged in 1985 / . His work was in the / 2 – 3 – 4 / old Bronze layers . And he got a collection of good ficitile parts which are kept in Tartous museum . Also , he found buildings' bases , a wall , and a ground of daub . He reached the Neo-Lithic layer , and this is an important civilizational discovery of the area . Wide digs are awaited to uncover the history of this area and its contribution to the humanity . - / 29 – 29,8 m / level goes back to the end of 15th century and the beginning of the 14th century B.C . - / 29.8 – 32.4 m / the house from the 3rd Old Bronze .www.tartoos.com - / 32.4 – 35.7 m / 4th Old Bronze levels . - / 35.7 – 36.2 m / 1st mid Bronze . - / 36.2 – 37 m / 2nd Mid Bronze .   The reference books : - The study of Homs gap – Tal Basis : Dr. Talman .