Palmyra. A descent from Cleopatra, Zenobia imbues Palmyra with a wild romance. She was, it seems, a woman of exceptional ability and ambition. Wife of Odenathus, king of Palmyra: Palmyra (Arabic: تدمر Tadmor‎) was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. It has long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert., and there is a newer town next to the ruins of the same name.