Ancient city, western Syria.
Located just southwest of modern Ḥimṣ, it was seized by the Egyptian king Thutmose III in the 15th century BC. It remained an outpost of Egypt until it came under Hittite rule in the mid-14th century BC. The Egyptian king Seti I captured the city, and in 1275 BC it was the scene of a battle between Ramses II and the Hittite Muwatallis. After invasion by the Sea People s с 1185 BC, Kadesh disappeared from history.