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Within the IAG, each member agency has its own billing and customer service center; all customer service centers are connected by a secure network (the "reciprocity network"). The agencies also set their own customer account policies. Areas of variation include the refundable deposit or nonrefundable charge for a tag, periodic maintenance fees, paper statement fees, the low account threshold, and replenishment amounts. E-ZPass is usually offered as a debit account: tolls are deducted from prepayments made by the users. Users may opt to have prepayments automatically deposited when their account is low, or they may submit prepayments manually. For commercial accounts, some agencies allow postpaid plans with a security deposit (which effectively renders them much like prepaid accounts with a different replenishment policy).
Several agencies offer discounted tolls to E-ZPass customers. The details vary widely, and can include general discounts for all E-ZPass users, variable pricing discounts for off-peak hours, commuter plans with minimum usage levels, flat rate plans offering unlimited use for a period of time, carpool plans for high-occupancy vehicles, and resident plans for those living near particular toll facilities. Many of these plans are only available to customers whose tags are issued by the agency that owns the toll facility in question. (Reciprocity only applies to tag acceptance, not to discounts.) Three authorities in New England (Maine, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and New Hampshire) restrict even their general discounts to their own respective tagholders.
E-ZPass tags are battery powered[1] RFID transponders, made exclusively by Mark IV Industries Corp - IVHS Division. They communicate with reader equipment built into lane-based or open road toll collection lanes. The most common type of tag is mounted on the inside of the vehicle's windshield behind the rear-view mirror. Some vehicles have windshields that block RFID signals. For those vehicles, an externally-mountable tag is offered, typically designed to attach to the vehicle's front license plate mounting points.
Most E-ZPass lanes are converted manual toll lanes and must have fairly low speed limits for safety reasons (5 and 15 mph are typical). In some areas, however (typically recently built or retrofitted facilities), there is no need to slow down, as E-ZPass users utilize dedicated traffic lanes ("Express E-ZPass") outside the toll booth (examples include Delaware Route 1, Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, the express lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Warrendale and Mid-County (I-476) Toll Plazas). In October 2006 Illinois completed[2] its open road tolling for IPass/E-ZPass users making it the first state in the nation to feature Open Road Tolling at every toll plaza on the Illinois system. Pennsylvania is planning on using open-road tolling when they convert Interstate 80 into a toll road.
Monday, March 2, 2009
E-ZPass system is part of a much larger US DOT ITS set of projects.
The E-ZPass system is part of a much larger US DOT ITS set of projects.
The E-ZPass technology can be used not only for toll collection, but also allows vehicles to become "probes." In commercial vehicles, it is envisioned[who?] as an "automated vehicle identification" electronic license plate.
In 1991, the original seven agencies jointly adopted an interagency policy statement that endorsed a plan to procure a unified and compatible system of tags and readers. The plan sought to ensure that one automatic vehicle identification toll tag could be used for travel throughout the entire region. The testing and selection of an electronic toll collection system motivated the representatives from these toll agencies to form the E-ZPass IAG.
The first obstacle that the E-ZPass IAG members had to overcome was the issue of whether to purchase a read-only or a read-write system. The agencies with open-system tollbooths (that collect a fixed toll) only needed read-only technology. The toll authorities with closed (distance-based) toll systems desired the read-write technology so that they could track entry as well as exit points of their customers. Additionally, all recognized that if an electronic toll collection system was to migrate to the communications methods required for advanced traffic management and traveler information systems, the electronic tags must be capable of two-way communications. After a period of negotiations, the members reached a consensus and selected the read-write technology.
The data generated by the TRANSMIT project is a key component of the Model Deployment Initiative. When merged with other data supplied by the TRANSCOM member agencies, it will form the basis for providing accurate, up-to-date, and much-needed travel information to the commuting public.
TRANSCOM members, many of whom are also involved with the E-ZPass effort, saw the benefits of building incident detection and congestion monitoring functions upon the E-ZPass system. Additional readers could be installed along the highway to provide TRANSCOM with regional incident detection and congestion management data. The members postulated that, while maintaining customer anonymity and confidentiality, vehicles participating in the E-ZPass system could be used as probes to detect congestion and incidents and assess such factors as vehicle speed and travel times. Therefore, they moved forward to assess the feasibility of and to design an advanced traffic management system operational test based on electronic toll collection technology.
TRANSCOM members reasoned that, if the operational test was successful, it could ultimately provide the region an extensive traffic surveillance system at a reasonable incremental increase over the cost of providing electronic toll and traffic management for toll collection only.
The E-ZPass technology can be used not only for toll collection, but also allows vehicles to become "probes." In commercial vehicles, it is envisioned[who?] as an "automated vehicle identification" electronic license plate.
In 1991, the original seven agencies jointly adopted an interagency policy statement that endorsed a plan to procure a unified and compatible system of tags and readers. The plan sought to ensure that one automatic vehicle identification toll tag could be used for travel throughout the entire region. The testing and selection of an electronic toll collection system motivated the representatives from these toll agencies to form the E-ZPass IAG.
The first obstacle that the E-ZPass IAG members had to overcome was the issue of whether to purchase a read-only or a read-write system. The agencies with open-system tollbooths (that collect a fixed toll) only needed read-only technology. The toll authorities with closed (distance-based) toll systems desired the read-write technology so that they could track entry as well as exit points of their customers. Additionally, all recognized that if an electronic toll collection system was to migrate to the communications methods required for advanced traffic management and traveler information systems, the electronic tags must be capable of two-way communications. After a period of negotiations, the members reached a consensus and selected the read-write technology.
The data generated by the TRANSMIT project is a key component of the Model Deployment Initiative. When merged with other data supplied by the TRANSCOM member agencies, it will form the basis for providing accurate, up-to-date, and much-needed travel information to the commuting public.
TRANSCOM members, many of whom are also involved with the E-ZPass effort, saw the benefits of building incident detection and congestion monitoring functions upon the E-ZPass system. Additional readers could be installed along the highway to provide TRANSCOM with regional incident detection and congestion management data. The members postulated that, while maintaining customer anonymity and confidentiality, vehicles participating in the E-ZPass system could be used as probes to detect congestion and incidents and assess such factors as vehicle speed and travel times. Therefore, they moved forward to assess the feasibility of and to design an advanced traffic management system operational test based on electronic toll collection technology.
TRANSCOM members reasoned that, if the operational test was successful, it could ultimately provide the region an extensive traffic surveillance system at a reasonable incremental increase over the cost of providing electronic toll and traffic management for toll collection only.
ez Pass History
The notion of electronic tolling had been considered as early as the 1980s, particularly in the New York metropolitan area. The tolling agencies of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — which constitute two-thirds of the United States' $3 billion a year toll industry — sought to create a compatible electronic tolling technology that could be used on the toll roads and bridges of the three states, in an effort to reduce congestion on some of the busiest roadways and toll plazas in the United States. In 1991, the E-ZPass IAG was created to develop an interoperable system, and involved the participation and cooperation of seven independent toll agencies — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, The New Jersey Turnpike Authority, The New Jersey Highway Authority (operator of the Garden State Parkway at the time), the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York State Thruway Authority, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (operator of the Atlantic City Expressway).
Under the direction of Peter Tufo, the Chairman of the New York State Thruway from 1989-1996, E-ZPass was first deployed on the Thruway at the Spring Valley toll plaza on August 3, 1993. Over the following three and a half years, the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) installed electronic toll collection equipment, in stages, along the Thruway. By February 6, 1997, E-ZPass had been installed along the entire length of the corridor.
Meanwhile, various other agencies began work on similar electronic toll collecting facilities. This resulted in the emergence of other networks:
The MassPass system used in Massachusetts, now changed to the compatible Fast Lane.
The I-Pass system used in Illinois.
The Smart Tag system used in Virginia, integrated in 2005 and rebranded E-ZPass in 2007.
The TransPass system used in Maine, since replaced by the E-ZPass system.
The M-Tag system used in Maryland, integrated into and rebranded E-ZPass in 2001.
Originally, these systems were not interchangeable with E-ZPass. However, since most of them use the same technology (or have since converted over to a compatible technology), all of them have been incorporated into the E-ZPass network. Though several still retain their own brand name for their own facilities, users of those systems can use E-ZPass and vice versa.
Until 2005, drivers crossing the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York paid a toll before crossing to Canada. Following upgrades to the border crossings in 2005, drivers instead pay a toll on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge after clearing Canadian customs. This is the only E-ZPass toll booth outside of the United States. The toll goes to the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, a bi-national agency that is charged to maintain the international bridge.
The E-ZPass system continues to expand. The Indiana Toll Road Concessions Corporation has upgraded its toll plazas to include E-ZPass functionality on the Indiana East-West Toll Road, while the Ohio Turnpike Commission plans to upgrade their system to be compatible with E-ZPass by October 2009 for the Ohio Turnpike (I-76, I-80, I-90). The Indiana Toll Road Concession Company brands their E-ZPass program as I-Zoom; Ohio will use the E-ZPass brand name. On December 16, 2008, Rhode Island joined the network by activating E-ZPass lanes in the state's only toll booth at the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.[
E-ZPass ETC transponders do not work on all toll roads in the U.S. Currently, the E-ZPass electronic toll-collection system (as well as the other ETC systems that are part of the E-Zpass network) are not compatible with Florida systems (including SunPass and EPass), California's FasTrak, Texas' TxTag, Kansas' K-Tag, Oklahoma Pikepass, or other ETC systems outside of the E-ZPass operating regions.
Under the direction of Peter Tufo, the Chairman of the New York State Thruway from 1989-1996, E-ZPass was first deployed on the Thruway at the Spring Valley toll plaza on August 3, 1993. Over the following three and a half years, the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) installed electronic toll collection equipment, in stages, along the Thruway. By February 6, 1997, E-ZPass had been installed along the entire length of the corridor.
Meanwhile, various other agencies began work on similar electronic toll collecting facilities. This resulted in the emergence of other networks:
The MassPass system used in Massachusetts, now changed to the compatible Fast Lane.
The I-Pass system used in Illinois.
The Smart Tag system used in Virginia, integrated in 2005 and rebranded E-ZPass in 2007.
The TransPass system used in Maine, since replaced by the E-ZPass system.
The M-Tag system used in Maryland, integrated into and rebranded E-ZPass in 2001.
Originally, these systems were not interchangeable with E-ZPass. However, since most of them use the same technology (or have since converted over to a compatible technology), all of them have been incorporated into the E-ZPass network. Though several still retain their own brand name for their own facilities, users of those systems can use E-ZPass and vice versa.
Until 2005, drivers crossing the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York paid a toll before crossing to Canada. Following upgrades to the border crossings in 2005, drivers instead pay a toll on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge after clearing Canadian customs. This is the only E-ZPass toll booth outside of the United States. The toll goes to the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, a bi-national agency that is charged to maintain the international bridge.
The E-ZPass system continues to expand. The Indiana Toll Road Concessions Corporation has upgraded its toll plazas to include E-ZPass functionality on the Indiana East-West Toll Road, while the Ohio Turnpike Commission plans to upgrade their system to be compatible with E-ZPass by October 2009 for the Ohio Turnpike (I-76, I-80, I-90). The Indiana Toll Road Concession Company brands their E-ZPass program as I-Zoom; Ohio will use the E-ZPass brand name. On December 16, 2008, Rhode Island joined the network by activating E-ZPass lanes in the state's only toll booth at the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.[
E-ZPass ETC transponders do not work on all toll roads in the U.S. Currently, the E-ZPass electronic toll-collection system (as well as the other ETC systems that are part of the E-Zpass network) are not compatible with Florida systems (including SunPass and EPass), California's FasTrak, Texas' TxTag, Kansas' K-Tag, Oklahoma Pikepass, or other ETC systems outside of the E-ZPass operating regions.
ez Pass
Within the IAG, each member agency has its own billing and customer service center; all customer service centers are connected by a secure network (the "reciprocity network"). The agencies also set their own customer account policies. Areas of variation include the refundable deposit or nonrefundable charge for a tag, periodic maintenance fees, paper statement fees, the low account threshold, and replenishment amounts. E-ZPass is usually offered as a debit account: tolls are deducted from prepayments made by the users. Users may opt to have prepayments automatically deposited when their account is low, or they may submit prepayments manually. For commercial accounts, some agencies allow postpaid plans with a security deposit (which effectively renders them much like prepaid accounts with a different replenishment policy).
Several agencies offer discounted tolls to E-ZPass customers. The details vary widely, and can include general discounts for all E-ZPass users, variable pricing discounts for off-peak hours, commuter plans with minimum usage levels, flat rate plans offering unlimited use for a period of time, carpool plans for high-occupancy vehicles, and resident plans for those living near particular toll facilities. Many of these plans are only available to customers whose tags are issued by the agency that owns the toll facility in question. (Reciprocity only applies to tag acceptance, not to discounts.) Three authorities in New England (Maine, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and New Hampshire) restrict even their general discounts to their own respective tagholders.
E-ZPass tags are battery powere RFID transponders, made exclusively by Mark IV Industries Corp - IVHS Division. They communicate with reader equipment built into lane-based or open road toll collection lanes. The most common type of tag is mounted on the inside of the vehicle's windshield behind the rear-view mirror. Some vehicles have windshields that block RFID signals. For those vehicles, an externally-mountable tag is offered, typically designed to attach to the vehicle's front license plate mounting points.
Most E-ZPass lanes are converted manual toll lanes and must have fairly low speed limits for safety reasons (5 and 15 mph are typical). In some areas, however (typically recently built or retrofitted facilities), there is no need to slow down, as E-ZPass users utilize dedicated traffic lanes ("Express E-ZPass") outside the toll booth (examples include Delaware Route 1, Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, the express lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Warrendale and Mid-County (I-476) Toll Plazas). In October 2006 Illinois completed[2] its open road tolling for IPass/E-ZPass users making it the first state in the nation to feature Open Road Tolling at every toll plaza on the Illinois system. Pennsylvania is planning on using open-road tolling when they convert Interstate 80 into a toll road.
Each E-ZPass tag is specifically programmed for a particular class of vehicle, and while any valid, working tag will be read and accepted in any E-ZPass toll lane, the wrong toll amount will be charged if the tag's programmed vehicle class does not match the vehicle. This will result in a violation and possible large fine assessed to the tag holder, especially if a lower-class (e.g., passenger car) tag is being used in a higher-class vehicle such as a bus or truck. In an attempt to avoid this, E-ZPass tags for commercial vehicles are blue in color, contrasting with the white tags assigned to standard passenger vehicles. The blue E-ZPass is also used in government employee vehicles. In the New York metro area, an orange E-ZPass is issued to emergency vehicles and to MTA and PANYNJ employees.
Some agencies have imposed periodic account maintenance fees on their subscribers. After New Jersey began losing money with the E-ZPass system, a monthly account fee of $1.00 was implemented on July 15, 2002 and is still in effect. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also charges a monthly account fee of $1.00. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority imposed a monthly account fee starting on July 1, 2005 claiming to defray the administrative costs.[citation needed] However, as such a fee was considered to threaten the efficiency of moving traffic faster with lower tolls, New York State Republican Senator Michael Balboni sponsored Bill S06331 to prohibit administrative service fees on E-ZPass accounts. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority repealed[citation needed][4] the monthly account fee on June 1, 2006. The Maryland Tranportation Authority charges $1.50/month fee on account holders.
Some agencies, instead of charging periodic account fees, charge a one-time fee between $20.00 and $30.00 for each new transponder, including the Delaware Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. One agency, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, is now charging multiple fees. In a press release dated July 17, 2007, the DRBA stated: "Beginning January 1, 2008, all DRBA E-ZPass account holders will be charged an account management fee of $1.50 per month. The transponder cost will also be passed on to E-ZPass customers for each new transponder."
Some agencies that do not charge a monthly account fee or an initial fee for the transponder include the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. The Illinois I-PASS system does charge a $10 deposit for each transponder. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission charges an annual account fee of $3.00. However, PTC transponders are free and there are no other fees. E-ZPass users are not required to maintain their account with an agency in their home state. Subscribers can open an E-ZPass account with any member of the IAG regardless of residency. This means that users have the option of choosing an agency based on the fees that it charges, effectively allowing them to circumvent transponder and account maintenance fees.
Several agencies offer discounted tolls to E-ZPass customers. The details vary widely, and can include general discounts for all E-ZPass users, variable pricing discounts for off-peak hours, commuter plans with minimum usage levels, flat rate plans offering unlimited use for a period of time, carpool plans for high-occupancy vehicles, and resident plans for those living near particular toll facilities. Many of these plans are only available to customers whose tags are issued by the agency that owns the toll facility in question. (Reciprocity only applies to tag acceptance, not to discounts.) Three authorities in New England (Maine, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and New Hampshire) restrict even their general discounts to their own respective tagholders.
E-ZPass tags are battery powere RFID transponders, made exclusively by Mark IV Industries Corp - IVHS Division. They communicate with reader equipment built into lane-based or open road toll collection lanes. The most common type of tag is mounted on the inside of the vehicle's windshield behind the rear-view mirror. Some vehicles have windshields that block RFID signals. For those vehicles, an externally-mountable tag is offered, typically designed to attach to the vehicle's front license plate mounting points.
Most E-ZPass lanes are converted manual toll lanes and must have fairly low speed limits for safety reasons (5 and 15 mph are typical). In some areas, however (typically recently built or retrofitted facilities), there is no need to slow down, as E-ZPass users utilize dedicated traffic lanes ("Express E-ZPass") outside the toll booth (examples include Delaware Route 1, Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, the express lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Warrendale and Mid-County (I-476) Toll Plazas). In October 2006 Illinois completed[2] its open road tolling for IPass/E-ZPass users making it the first state in the nation to feature Open Road Tolling at every toll plaza on the Illinois system. Pennsylvania is planning on using open-road tolling when they convert Interstate 80 into a toll road.
Each E-ZPass tag is specifically programmed for a particular class of vehicle, and while any valid, working tag will be read and accepted in any E-ZPass toll lane, the wrong toll amount will be charged if the tag's programmed vehicle class does not match the vehicle. This will result in a violation and possible large fine assessed to the tag holder, especially if a lower-class (e.g., passenger car) tag is being used in a higher-class vehicle such as a bus or truck. In an attempt to avoid this, E-ZPass tags for commercial vehicles are blue in color, contrasting with the white tags assigned to standard passenger vehicles. The blue E-ZPass is also used in government employee vehicles. In the New York metro area, an orange E-ZPass is issued to emergency vehicles and to MTA and PANYNJ employees.
Some agencies have imposed periodic account maintenance fees on their subscribers. After New Jersey began losing money with the E-ZPass system, a monthly account fee of $1.00 was implemented on July 15, 2002 and is still in effect. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also charges a monthly account fee of $1.00. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority imposed a monthly account fee starting on July 1, 2005 claiming to defray the administrative costs.[citation needed] However, as such a fee was considered to threaten the efficiency of moving traffic faster with lower tolls, New York State Republican Senator Michael Balboni sponsored Bill S06331 to prohibit administrative service fees on E-ZPass accounts. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority repealed[citation needed][4] the monthly account fee on June 1, 2006. The Maryland Tranportation Authority charges $1.50/month fee on account holders.
Some agencies, instead of charging periodic account fees, charge a one-time fee between $20.00 and $30.00 for each new transponder, including the Delaware Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. One agency, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, is now charging multiple fees. In a press release dated July 17, 2007, the DRBA stated: "Beginning January 1, 2008, all DRBA E-ZPass account holders will be charged an account management fee of $1.50 per month. The transponder cost will also be passed on to E-ZPass customers for each new transponder."
Some agencies that do not charge a monthly account fee or an initial fee for the transponder include the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. The Illinois I-PASS system does charge a $10 deposit for each transponder. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission charges an annual account fee of $3.00. However, PTC transponders are free and there are no other fees. E-ZPass users are not required to maintain their account with an agency in their home state. Subscribers can open an E-ZPass account with any member of the IAG regardless of residency. This means that users have the option of choosing an agency based on the fees that it charges, effectively allowing them to circumvent transponder and account maintenance fees.
ez Remix
We Invented the Remix is an album by P. Diddy with the Bad Boy Family, released in 2002. It features remixes of hit singles by artists from Diddy's Bad Boy Records record label. The album reached the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart for a week and was later certified Platinum for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies. The album also reached #17 in the UK on the UK Albums Chart. The album featured the hit singles "I Need a Girl (Part 1)", which reached #2 in the U.S., and "I Need a Girl (Part 2)", which reached #4, a rare occurrence of both parts of the same song both becoming big hits.
ez Dot
Deir ez Zor, also spelled Dayr az-Zawr, Deir al-Zur and other variants (Arabic: دير الزور; Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܙܥܘܪܬܐ, Armenian: Տէր Զօր or Der Zor, Turkish: Deyrizor), is a city in northeastern Syria on the Euphrates River and capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, 450 km from the capital, Damascus. It has a population of 230.000 (2002 estimate).
The city and its rural surrounding is a fertile and prosperous farming area, with livestock-breeding (for special awassi sheep), cereals and cotton crops. Many agribusiness institutions are working there as well.
Since the discovery of light crude oil in the Syrian desert it has become a centre for the country's oil extraction industry. It is also a minor centre for tourism with many touristic facilities as traditional riverbank restaurants up to 5-star hotels, a hub for trans-desert travel and has an airport (IATA code: DEZ) in Al-Jafra suburb. Also there are salt rock mines nearby.
Deir ez-Zor is situated 85 km to the northwest of the archaeological remains of Dura-Europos and 120 km northwest of the remains of the ancient city of Mari. During Roman times it was an important trading post between the Roman Empire and India. Conquered by Zenobia, it became part of the kingdom of Palmyra. After a successive wave of conquests, it was finally destroyed by the Mongols as they swept across the Middle East.
The modern town was built by the Ottoman Empire in 1867. In 1915, the city became a major destination point in the Armenian Genocide; a memorial commemorating this tragedy is located in the city.[2] France occupied Deir ez-Zor in 1921 and made it the seat of a large garrison. In 1941 British-led forces defeated the French during the Syria-Lebanon campaign, which included a battle over Deir, and they handed administration of the region to the Free French. In 1946 it became part of independent Syria.
Deir ez-Zor is also famous for its suspension bridge (Arabic: الجسر المعلق) that spans the Euphrates and was built by the French in 1930.
It has a regional-level museum and big Cultural Center. The newly established Al-Furat University has its center in Deir ez Zor. Of this University, faculties of Agriculture, Science, Arts and Humanities, Education, Law, Petrochemical Engineering and Medicine are located in the city, while other faculties spread in neighbouring districts. Many other vocational schools and professional institutes also provide post-secondary education. The local daily newspaper Al Furat is published there.
Most recently, Dei ez-Zor is known as the place where Israel, on September 6, 2007 executed Operation Orchard. Israel bombed a northern Syrian complex near Dayr az-Zawr which was suspected of holding nuclear materials from North Korea.
The city and its rural surrounding is a fertile and prosperous farming area, with livestock-breeding (for special awassi sheep), cereals and cotton crops. Many agribusiness institutions are working there as well.
Since the discovery of light crude oil in the Syrian desert it has become a centre for the country's oil extraction industry. It is also a minor centre for tourism with many touristic facilities as traditional riverbank restaurants up to 5-star hotels, a hub for trans-desert travel and has an airport (IATA code: DEZ) in Al-Jafra suburb. Also there are salt rock mines nearby.
Deir ez-Zor is situated 85 km to the northwest of the archaeological remains of Dura-Europos and 120 km northwest of the remains of the ancient city of Mari. During Roman times it was an important trading post between the Roman Empire and India. Conquered by Zenobia, it became part of the kingdom of Palmyra. After a successive wave of conquests, it was finally destroyed by the Mongols as they swept across the Middle East.
The modern town was built by the Ottoman Empire in 1867. In 1915, the city became a major destination point in the Armenian Genocide; a memorial commemorating this tragedy is located in the city.[2] France occupied Deir ez-Zor in 1921 and made it the seat of a large garrison. In 1941 British-led forces defeated the French during the Syria-Lebanon campaign, which included a battle over Deir, and they handed administration of the region to the Free French. In 1946 it became part of independent Syria.
Deir ez-Zor is also famous for its suspension bridge (Arabic: الجسر المعلق) that spans the Euphrates and was built by the French in 1930.
It has a regional-level museum and big Cultural Center. The newly established Al-Furat University has its center in Deir ez Zor. Of this University, faculties of Agriculture, Science, Arts and Humanities, Education, Law, Petrochemical Engineering and Medicine are located in the city, while other faculties spread in neighbouring districts. Many other vocational schools and professional institutes also provide post-secondary education. The local daily newspaper Al Furat is published there.
Most recently, Dei ez-Zor is known as the place where Israel, on September 6, 2007 executed Operation Orchard. Israel bombed a northern Syrian complex near Dayr az-Zawr which was suspected of holding nuclear materials from North Korea.
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