Visited on a group tour to Syria in May 2023.

Although the city is controlled by the Free Syrian Army, but there are mutual agreements, and foreign tourists are brought here from the territories controlled by Assad. Everyone needs money.
I really wanted to visit this city, because it is the last capital of the Nabataean kingdom, and after visiting Petra it was logical to get here as well, although there is little left of the Nabataeans here, only a huge gate, the same type as in Petra.
In fact, the Romans built a new city here, which became the capital of the province of Arabia.
The most important building of the Roman era can is the well-preserved Roman theater, although it is not so big (about 8 thousand spectators), but the stage and the rows of spectators have perfectly survived to our time. Maybe because basalt was used as the main building material, and the Muslims rebuilt the theater into a citadel after conquering the city, thus preserving it.
There are also traces of the Byzantine era, a basilica that was the center of the bishopric. From Islamic times, the main object is the Omar's Mosque, it claims the status of one of the first mosques in the world according to local tradition, although historians have doubts about this.
In general, there are many different layers, but it looks complete, because the material is the same - basalt, and the architectural continuity is visible.