Resafa, known in Roman times as Sergiopolis and briefly as Anastasiopolis, is an archaeological site situated south-west of the city of Al-Raqqah, Syria. The site dates to the 9th century BC, when a military camp was built by the Assyrians. During Roman times it was a desert outpost fortified to defend against the Sassanid Persians. In the 8th century, the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik made the city his favoured residence, and built several palaces around it.