Unlike the cities of Aleppo and Damascus, nothing much of the ages is still existent in Hama. Excavations on and near the citadel hill, which is now replaced by a park, reveal remains belonging as far back as the Neolithic period. 

Also found were some remains form the 11th Century BC, when Hama was the center of Syro-Hittite. It was also the capital of the Aramean kingdom, as Hamath. Hamath is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. 

In 720 BC Hama, as well as the rest of Syria was conquered by the Assyrians, followed by the Persians. Hama came to be known as Epiphania when it fell to the Seleucids in 200 BC. When the Romans and then the Byzantines took over, it was used as a center for administration until it fell to the Arabs yet remained weaker than the other Syrian states.

The Arabs took over Hama by capitulation in 636 AD. But it was always overshadowed by the Northern power in the form of Aleppo, and the Southern power in the form of Damascus. However it flourished under the Ayyubids, and the Ottomans left their emblem in the form of a couple of Khans and a beautiful Azem Palace.