Syria’s iconic Queen Zenobia faces removal from school curriculum

Syria’s Education Ministry is considering removing from the school curriculum, Queen Zenobia, one of the country’s most emblematic icons.

Among the controversial proposals is a drive to do away with any mention of the Syrian Queen and Khawla bint al-Azour, with the new administration arguing that they are “not real figures”.

In an attempt to contain the row, the Syrian Minister of Education, Nazir al-Qadiri, confirmed that the curriculum will remain as it is until specialised committees are formed to review it and make the required amendments.

However, talk of the possibility of making these amendments triggered uproar on social media, with many considering it a denial of history and a distortion of facts.

Among the amendments, the decision to delete the chapter on Queen Zenobia is one of the most controversial, prompting the question: can Zenobia really be considered a fictional character?

What do we know about Zenobia, and is she real?

Zenobia was born around 240 AD in the Syrian city of Palmyra, according to many historical sources. She grew up in a rich cultural environment, receiving her education in Alexandria and studying the history of the Greeks and Romans. Syria was then a Roman province, and this context shaped her later political life.

Historical sources refer to Zenobia as one of the greatest queens in ancient history, with remarkable beauty and exceptional intelligence. She is described as a woman of incredible abilities, who transformed Palmyra into a Near Eastern superpower, and is still remembered as a symbol of leadership and courage.

By 258 AD, Zenobia had married Lucius Septimius Odaenathus, known as Odenathus, the Roman governor of Syria. She had two children with him and lived with him in Palmyra, a city that was a thriving commercial centre on the Silk Road. Known as Uthaynah in Arabic, Odaenathus was an influential ruler. Zenobia shared the affairs of government with him, contributing to her political intellect and leadership vision.

After the assassination of Odaenathus and his son in 266/267 AD, Zenobia became regent. As she came to power, she adopted her husband’s policies but boldly expanded her influence. She took advantage of the weakness of the Roman Empire, which was preoccupied with invasions in Europe, and succeeded in establishing control over Syria and northern Mesopotamia.

According to some accounts, she conquered Egypt in 270 AD and later annexed it to her kingdom, making Zenobia the leader of a vast kingdom that spanned large swathes of the East.

Some sources say that the Roman Empire sent an army led by Emperor Aurelian who defeated Zenobia in the same year, with Zenobia then captured and taken to Rome as part of the Roman victory parade. Other accounts say that she tried to flee with her son to Persia on the back of a camel.

Zenobia has been immortalised in many literary and historical works. In the novel ‘I am Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra’ by French writer Bernard Simiot, the author portrays her story with literary ingenuity. The English historian Edward Gibbon, in his book ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’, described her as “a woman who, by her extraordinary genius, was able to transcend the social and climatic constraints that imposed inactivity on her race in Asia”.

All in all, historical sources clearly see Zenobia as a real person who left a deep mark on the history of the region, based on the evidence that supports her existence as a queen who ruled Palmyra with intelligence and strength. These historical documents, along with her tangible achievements, make it difficult to deny the reality of her existence and her profound impact on the history of the Ancient East.