Umayyad City Ruins Grand Palace was occupied from 705-715, by Caliph Walid Ibn Abd Al-Malak.  Initially built to be a vacation palace, Al-Malak soon realised it was located perfectly at the crossroads of two important routes, one leading from Beirut to Damascus and the other from Bekaa Valley to Homs.  Al-Malak was succeeded by his son Ibrahim ibn al-Walid.  However, Al-Malak’s brother Marwan II believed that he was the rightful heir, and proceeded to overthrow Ibrahim ibn al-Walid.  The palace was never fully completed, and was destroyed during this battle.  It was abandoned, and only discovered at the end of the 1940s.   In 1984, it became a UNESCO world heritage site.