The Palmyran Tariff

In 1896, two military officers claimed that Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II had gifted the inscribed stone steles—bearing the Palmyrene Financial Law 

(considered the world’s first financial law) — to the Tsar of Russia.
Based on this claim, they obtained official Ottoman approval to transfer the inscriptions to Russia. 

The steles were then divided and shipped to the city of Haifa in Palestine, from where they were transported to Russia.

The stone steles remained for two years without anyone recognizing their nature or the significance of the inscriptions they bore.
It was not until 1901 that a group of Russian scholars took the initiative to bring the inscriptions into Russia and study them at their own expense.
In 1902, the inscription was displayed at the Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace) in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

In 2007, the renowned artist Hayyan Farajani proposed the idea of reproducing the Palmyrene customs tariff in order to

 return it to its homeland, Syria, for display at the “Tadamora Palace,” which he had established in the city of Palmyra.

He succeeded, on an individual basis, in obtaining the necessary approvals for the official documents related to

 the law and the original images—after receiving authorization from the Kremlin.

The French government, in cooperation with the Syrian government, had requested access to the Palmyrene Financial Law 

for a period of 25 years; however, the Hermitage Museum declined the request.

In 2009, Tadamora Palace commissioned the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to produce a full-scale replica 

of the Palmyrene customs tariff for use in decorating the hotel’s main hall.

As part of his dedication to reviving historical heritage in a contemporary style, artist Hayyan Farajani presented the Palmyrene law alongside a collection of rare information and images he had acquired. This was done within his unique artistic vision, which blends history with visual creativity.

Farajani did not limit himself to displaying historical material; he also added his personal touch by designing artistic accessories inspired by the spirit of Palmyrene civilization, reintroducing this rich legacy through a modern aesthetic lens.

These works were used to adorn the hotel’s main hall, transforming it into a vibrant space infused with history—offering visitors a stunning visual experience that merges the grandeur of the past with the sophistication of contemporary presentation.

In the summer of 2017, the Bryggens Museum in Bergen hosted an exhibition titled “Journeys to Tadmor: History and Heritage in Palmyra and the Middle East,” in collaboration with the University of Bergen, Norway. The exhibition featured archaeological artifacts and 3D models, aiming to shed light on the city of Palmyra and its scholarly legacy. Artist Hayyan Farajani succeeded in presenting this heritage through an unconventional artistic approach that reopens questions about the relationship between art and memory, while reinforcing the presence of Palmyrene civilization in contemporary cultural consciousness.