Palmyra was first recorded as a staging post on the Silk Road around 50BC. By 129 AD, it was an established city under the Romans but they were ousted by the formidable Queen Zenobia in the late 3rd century. After her defeat Palmyra came once again under Roman jurisdiction and continued to flourish. With the decline of the Silk Road, Palmyra too began to fade and it disappears from history around the 16th century. What we have left are some of the most superb Roman ruins to be found anywhere in the world and which have captured the imagination of travellers for generations.