The Funerary Temple at Palmyra (Tomb 86)

From the outside it looks like a small temple, but it is a family tomb. It stands at the north-west end of Palmyra’s Great Colonnade and dates to the late 2nd or the 3rd century. In pre-war records its portico of six columns with Corinthian capitals was still standing. In archaeologist Michał Gawlikowski’s catalogue of the Palmyra tombs it is number 86, and it is also called the “house tomb”.

Why this tomb is different

Palmyra buried its dead in cemeteries outside the city; this is the only tomb inside the city walls. That is why it is thought to be linked to the royal family. No inscription was found on it, and nobody knows whose it was.

It stands for the last phase of Palmyra’s funerary architecture. Tower tombs came first, then underground tombs, and finally temple-shaped tombs like this one. For a tower tomb, see the Tower of Elahbel.

What to see

Carved vines and flowers frame the portico. From the large room inside, steps led down to the burial chambers below. The back wall and the left side wall are not original; they were rebuilt during repairs in the 1970s. Palmyra Castle sits on the hill behind, and the two fit in one frame.

Getting there and how long it takes

Walk west along the colonnaded street to its end and the building is in front of you. The street’s three sections are described on the Great Colonnade page; the funerary temple is where the western section begins. The Temple of Bel lies beyond the far end. Allow 20 minutes. The layout of the whole site is on the Palmyra ruins page.

Present state

No separate dated source on the building’s condition after 2015 was found. The description here relies on pre-war records; its present state, and whether the lower chambers can be entered, are unverified. Transport, permits and closed sectors are in how to get to Palmyra. Mine clearance that began in May 2026 is under way in the northern necropolis. This building is inside the walls, but stay on the marked paths here too.

What most people miss

Walk round to the side. From the front it reads as a full temple façade; from the side it is a plain stone-walled room, and only the portico makes it a temple. That angle shows best how a tomb was given the look of a temple.