War, the latest visitor to Syria's fabled Palmyra Syria's fabled desert Greco-Roman oasis of Palmyra saw its last tourist in September 2011, six months after the uprising began. Its most recent visitors are violence and looting. Ancient Palmyra now bears the scars of modern warfare but also greed in the form of pillaged tombs. The UNESCO-listed "pearl of the desert" world heritage site in Homs province, just over 200 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Damascus, was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. Images and soundbites