Editing Homs (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Souq al-harir - Hims, Syria.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Souk al-Harir, one of the many roofed ''[[souk]]s'']]
After long periods of stagnation under [[Ottoman Syria|Ottoman]] rule, Homs started to flourish again in the 20th century. Its geographic and strategic location has made it a centre of agriculture and industry. The "Homs Irrigation Scheme", the first of its kind in modern Syria, brought prosperity to cultivators and the long-established enterprises involved in the processing of agricultural and pastoral products.<ref name="Dumper3">Dumper, 2007, p. 174.</ref> Crops grown in Homs include [[wheat]], [[barley]], [[lentil]]s, [[sugar beet]]s, [[cotton]], and [[vine]]s, as well as serving as a point of exchange between the sedentary zone and the desert. Moreover, because of easy access to the Mediterranean, Homs has attracted overland trade from the [[Persian Gulf]] and [[Iraq]].<ref name="commins"/>

[[File:Oil refinery in Homs, 2010.jpg|thumb|The oil refinery of Homs, built by Czechoslovakian firm Technoexport in 1959]]
Homs is also home to several large public heavy industries, such as the oil refinery west of the city which opened in 1959.<ref name="Dumper3"/> A fertiliser plant was built in 1971 to process [[phosphate]]s from their deposits near Palmyra; the fertiliser is for domestic consumption and export.<ref>Commins, 2004, p. 136.</ref> A growing private industrial sector has flourished in the past decade and many small to medium-sized enterprises occupy the industrial zones northwest and south of the city. A new [[sugar]] refinery is being built by a [[Brazil]]ian company, and an automobile plant is under construction by [[Iran Khodro]]. Also a new phosphate plant and oil refinery are being built east of the city. Homs is also the hub of an important road and rail network, it is the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast.

A major industrial project was the establishment of a new industrial city in [[Hisyah]], {{convert|47|km}} south of the city of Homs. Spreading across some {{convert|2500|ha|km2}}, the city covers four main industrial sectors: textiles, food, chemical, engineering and vocational. In all, the facilities are designed to accommodate up to 66,000 workers and their families. Moreover, a free zone has been established within the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.homschamber.org.sy/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=2&page=1|title=About Homes|publisher=Homs Chamber of Commerce|year=2005|access-date=26 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602185627/http://www.homschamber.org.sy/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=2&page=1|archive-date=2 June 2009}}</ref>

The hinterland of Homs is well known for its grapes which are used in Syria's [[liqueur]] industry, particularly in producing [[Arak (drink)|arak]], nectar wine, and [[red wine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cortasco.com/templates/en/profile.htm |title=Wine Profile |publisher=Cortas Winery |year=2007 |access-date=28 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615175021/http://www.cortasco.com/templates/en/profile.htm |archive-date=15 June 2008 }}</ref> The city is considered a good base for day trips and excursions to the many historical and touristic sights nearby. Popular destinations include [[Krak des Chevaliers]], [[Qatna]], [[Talkalakh]] and [[Marmarita]]. Homs has several hotels; [[Safir Hotels & Resorts|Safir Hotel]] is considered one of Syria's best five-star hotels and the only one of that status in the city. An-Nasr al-Jedid Hotel is built in a 100-year-old mansion and is labelled by tour guides as the "best budget hotel in Homs". Other hotels include Hotel al-Mimas, Ghazi Hotel, and Hotel Khayyam.<ref name="cart158">Carter, 2004, p. 158.</ref><ref>Carter, 2008, p. 158</ref>