Great Colonnade at Palmyra The western colonnade was the first section to be built. Inscriptions found on some columns confirm that works started before 158 CE. The straight avenue ran in northwest-southeast direction and stretched for , the longest of the three sectors. The main avenue's width was while the side streets were in width. The colonnade's western terminus, the West Gate, was built in the late second-century CE. The avenue also connected in a right angle to the Transverse Colonnade which stretched to the Damascus Gate in the south. The eastern sector of the Great Colonnade started at the Monumental Arch and stretched
Society of Architectural Historians of Architectural Historians". The name was shortened to its current form a decade later. SAH is currently the largest academic organization in the field of architectural history in the US. As part of its mission to "advance knowledge and understanding of the history of architecture, design, landscape, and urbanism worldwide", the Society publishes several works, most noticeably the "Buildings of the United States" series, as well as a newsletter and the "Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians" (). In addition, in association with the University of Virginia, the Society is developing an online encyclopedia of architecture called SAH Archipedia.