New Homs watch

As it is popularly known as “Karjia Clock”, it is a tower building that carries a large mechanical clock at its top, distributed for four hours overlooking various sides. It is one of the famous landmarks of Homs and a symbol of the city as well. Its construction dates back to the sixties of the twentieth century.

Location:

The clock is in the center of (Jamal Abdel Nasser Square) in the center of Homs, and its four hours overlook the main streets that pass through the square (Al-Dablan Street, Abdel Moneim Riyad Street, Abdel Hamid Al-Droubi Street, Shukri Al-Quwatli Street). And next to it is the headquarters of Syriatel in Homs, the famous Al-Rawda Café, and the ancient Al-Farah Café

Clock building and inauguration

In 1951, Mrs. Karjieh donated 30,000 Syrian pounds to construct a clock tower in the city center in front of the Saraya, and in September 1957, that is, six years after the date of the donation, and after the construction of the tower, which became ready without the clock in 1959, they informed her that the amount was not enough to purchase a device. The hour, the purchasing value of money has decreased after this long period, so she did not hesitate to send an additional 30,000 Syrian pounds to complete the work.

Architectural and mechanical

The current watch model was chosen after looking at several local and international models, and all the equipment was brought from outside Syria, but all the builders are Homs. About nine months.

The clock tower is closer to the shape of a square-style minaret, and the color of its stones is a mixture of black and white, and the clock takes the form of a square dome with four arches, and each arch is a door. The hand is about 100 cm long, and it is lit by hidden lamps behind the numbers radiating inward. It is noted that the clock is built of white limestone and black marble.
As for the watch, it is a mechanical watch of the French model that operates on electric current, connected to a locally manufactured linkage motor that was invented by the watchmaker Abdullah Kishi. The function of this motor is to automatically link the watch in the event of a power outage. Musical melodies are heard at a distance of about six kilometers, and the clock has a wooden “miqqit” dancer with a metal disc at the end of it.