Ejnar Fugmann served as an architect-in-chief on two Danish archaeological expeditions to Syria, first to Hama (1931-38) and much later to Gabla (1958-61). He was a skilled artist and spent much of his time painting watercolours of local monuments and daily life. While he also painted scenes from the other parts of Syria such as Aleppo and Krak de Chevaliers, his portraits of Hama and Gabla are especially compelling for the witness they bear to two towns before modern development changed their appearance irrevocably. In addition to the waterwheels on the Orontes and other scenes from daily life, his watercolours from Hama show the Azm and Kilani mansions, the Han Rustam basar and the Great Mosque presented in their cultural and historical context.