Suggesting a tourist path for archaeological castles using Geographic Information Systems Technologies (GIS)at Hama’s City and its western countryside

Abstract

Castles and fortresses are considered one of the most important architectural and military facilities that are still standing today, They were considered one of the most factors that help defend the mountains, plains and the areas surrounding them. They were commonly built high in the mountains or plateaus to make it easier for them to uncover everything around them, And this was what increased their strength and fortification against enemies, As at Hama’s City and its western countryside, Where there are many castles that testify to the succession of civilizations that have inhabited this area since ancient times, Because of the passage of the Asi River between its heights and to provide the elements of life in it. Therefore, the archaeological castles are considered a historical component of Tourism, Because of the importance of the tourist path in promoting archaeological tourism and introducing archaeological castles, And then encouraging tourists to visit them.

In this research, A tourist path was proposed for the archaeological castles at Hama’s City and its western countryside, as the success of this path contributes to increasing the local income of the tourist destination, and provides new job opportunities for members of the local community, Especially if it is created using modern and advanced technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS), These technologies help to store descriptive and spatial data about castles and paths and update them constantly and make them available to everyone for the desired benefit, This is what the research aims for.