1154 – Al-Idrisi mentioned that Homs was populous, contained open markets, and was frequented by travelers. The residents were pleasant; living with them is easy. The women are beautiful and are celebrated for their fine skin."[7]
1225 – Yaqut al-Hamawi mentioned that Homs was large, celebrated and walled, having a strongly fortified castle on its southern hill.[8]
1355 – Ibn Batuta visited Homs, writing that it had fine trees and good markets.
1400 – Timur seized the city. Nevertheless, he did not sack it as he did in Aleppo, Hama and later Damascus, due to a man called “‘Amr bin al-Rawas” who conciled with him offering precious gifts to save the city.[9]
1510 – al-Fadl bin Nu'ayr was sent on an expedition by the governor of Damascus to loot the city markets.[6]
1860s – The city rebelled against Egyptian rule and consequently, the citadel was destroyed when the Egyptians suppressed the revolt. Ottoman rule was soon restored.[6]
1870s – Homs' economic importance was boosted again during the depression of the 1870s, as its cotton industry boomed due to a decline European textile production. One British consul referred to Homs as the "Manchester of Syria."[6]
An oil pipeline between Tripoli and Kirkuk was built in Homs, and it followed an ancient caravan route between Palmyra and the Mediterranean.
The famous old Clock Tower, facing al-Hamidiya Street, was built by the French.
1932 – The French moved their military academy from Damascus to Homs to be established in 1933, later known as Homs Military Academy,[16] and it remained the only military academy in Syria until 1967.[17]
1959 – An oil refinery was built to process oil for domestic consumption.[6] The city's oil refinery was bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[18]