Syria has certainly had a turbulent time in the recent past.

The father of the current President, when he was in power, ordered the shelling of the old city of Hama on 2 February 1982, in response to a growing campaign by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Between 10,000 and 25,000 people were killed out of a total population of 350,000, and mosques, churches and archaeological sites were damaged and destroyed.

All that remains today are a few narrow streets which give you an idea of how glorious the area would have been prior to the bombardment.

Still the shells missed the Azem Palace, home of an Ottoman governor which we'll visit and report on soon.