Qadesh-on-the-Orontes (Tell Nebi Mend)

Situated by the Orontes River, and close to the cross-roads of the mouth of the Beka'a Valley, extending south in to the Lebanon, and the Homs-Tripoli Gap, providing a route from the Mediterranean to the Syrian heartland, the strategic importance of the site is very much in evidence.  Tell Nebi Mend was first identified as the site of the battle of Qadesh (1289 BC) betweeen the armies of Rameses II of Egypt and the Hittite king Muwatallis, by the PEF's Charles Warren in the late 19th century. However,  in all the excavations at the site, not a single arrowhead or detect any destruction debris that would indicate a mighty battle there was found. It is suspected that it may have been one of the greatest stand-offs in ancient history, with both sides claiming a victory!