SYRIA GENERAL INFORMATION
OFFICIAL NAME: Syrian Arab Republic.
CAPITAL: Damascus
AREA: 185.180 Sq km (71.500sq. miles)
POPULATION: 23.500 millions ( 2011 census )
CLIMATE: A pleasant and varied Mediterranean climate with four distinct seasons.
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE:
32° C. (90° F) in Summer,
10° C. (50° F) in Winter and
22° C. (72° F) in Spring and Autumn.
TIME ZONE: November through March: GMT + 2 Hours (Winter).
April through October: GMT + 3 hours. (Summer).
ELECTRICAL CURRENT: 220 Volts, 50 A.C.
WEEKEND: Friday and Saturday are the official weekend.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: Metric system.
TRAVEL INFORMATION ENTRY FORMALITIES:
A valid passport with entry visa. Any amount of foreign currency could be brought into Syria. However, the sum of foreign currency allowed out should not exceed the amount brought in.
Tourist groups coming through their local travel agency can obtain their free of charge visas from the airport or any other border.
HOW TO GET THERE:
By land: Syria is connected by highways with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.
By Sea: Through the two seaports of Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean.
By Air: Damascus, the main gateway to Syria, Aleppo and Latakia are connected with all continents by the national carrier (Syrianair) and major international airlines.
Communications:
International telephone code for Syria: 00963
Telephone code:
Damascus 011, Nabk 012, Deir Ateya 012, Zabadani 013, Bloudan 013, Al-Qunaytra 014, Dar'a 015, Sweida 016, Aleppo 021, Raqqa 022, Jisr Shogour 023, Idleb 023, Homs 031, Palmyra 031, Hama 033, Latakia 041, Kurdahah 041, Jableh 041, Slenfeh 041, Kasab 041, Tartus 043, Banyas 043, Safita 043, Draykish 043, Mashta Helu 043, Deir-ez-zor 051, Hasakeh 052, Raselein 052, Malkieh 052, Kamishli 053.
Airport:
Damascus: Damascus International Airport, a distance of 32 kms from the center of the capital, Damascus - Taxi service - Bus services - Free zone
Aleppo: Aleppo International airport.
Latakia: Bassel Al-Asad Airport.
Al Qamishli: Al Qamishli Airport.
Ports:
Latakia 348 kms from the capital, Tartus 258 kms from the capital, banyas 55 kms south of Latakia.
Currency:
Currency Unit: Syrian Pound = 100 piasters
1 U.S. Dollar = 51 S.P approximately.
Notes: 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 S.P.
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 S.P.
Damascus - The Azem Palace
This also stands at the heart of the Old City, on the southern side of the Omayyad Mosque, and very close to it. It is an astonishing example of a Damascene house, where the simple, almost primitive, exterior contrasts rather sharply with the beauty and sophistication of the interior. Here one finds a sense of space, a wealth of polychrome stone, splendid marble, cascading fountains, and fragrant flowers. The palace was built in the mid-eighteenth century for the Governor of Damascus. The palace now houses the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions.
Damascus - the National Museum of Damascus
Founded in 1919, initially installed at the Madrasseh al Adiliyeh. The construction of a new building was between 1935 and 1979 and it becomes the central Museum of Syria. Since then the following monuments had been reconstructed within this Museum.
§ The hypogeum of Yarhay from Palmyra, 108 A.D.
§ The Synagogue of Dura Europos, mid 3rd century A.D.
§ The facade of Qasr al-Hair al Gharbi, dated to 727 A.D.
§ One of the entries of Yalbugha Mosque.
§ The Damascus reception hall of 1737 A.D.
1- Prehistory Museum: contains artifacts and objects discovered in the basin of the Orontes, the Euphrates, at Tell Ramad.
2- Museum of Ancient Syrian Antiquities : contain an Amorite, Canaanite and Eblaite antiquities discovered at Ugarit, of which is the alphabet the most important, at Mari, where the statue of Ur-Nina, of Ishtar, the model of a circular house had been found; at Ebla, where the famous archive, the cult basin, the bust of a king... had been brought to light, and many other antiquities from Amrit, Tell Sukas, Tell Khueira…etc.
3- Museum of classical Antiquities: conserves sculptures discovered in Hauran, Djebel al-Arab, Djoulan; mosaics, Palmyrenean antiquities, frescos from Dura Europos, jewelleries and coins…
4- Museum of Arab-Islamic Arts: conserves windows of stucco, fresco of Qasr al-Hair, ceramics, faiences, manuscripts, cenotaph of Khaled Ben al-Walid and of Khatoun.
5- Museum of Contemporary Art: contains works of Syrian artists and artists of Arab and friend countries.
6- Open Air Museum within the garden of the National Museum: exposes antiquities of stones from different periods.
Horary of visits:
Summer (May-September) 8h. - 13h. and 16h. - 19h.
Friday 8h. - 12h.30 and 16h. - 19h.
Winter (October - April) 8h. - 13h. and 14h. - 16h.
Friday 8h. - 11h.30 and 14h. - 16h.
Closed in Tuesday
The Souqs - الأسواق
The old covered souqs of Damascus have a unique flavour you can savor with eyes closed. As you walk about in the warm darkness of these streets with their fragrant scents, spices, and colourful merchandise spilling out of the shops onto the pavements, you enter the strange world of exotic legend. Most prominent of these are:
Souq al-Hamidiyeh
Souq Midhat Pasha
Souq al-Harir
Souq Al-Bzourieh
Damascus - the Umayyad Mosque
This Great Mosque stands at the heart of the Old city at the end of Souq al-Hamidiyeh. It was built by the Omayyad Caliph al-Walid ibn Abdul Malek in 705 A.D. when Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire.
It was constructed on the site of what has always been a place of worship: first, a temple for Hadad, the Aramean god of the ancient Syrians three thousand years ago; then, a pagan temple (the temple of Jupiter the Damascene) during the Roman era. It was later turned into a church called John the Baptist when Christianity spread in the fourth century. Following the Islamic conquest in 635, Muslims and Christians agreed to partition it between them, and they began to perform their rituals side by side.
When al-Walid decided to erect an impressive mosque suited to the grandeur of the Arab state "whose like was never built before, nor will ever be built after" as he is reported to have said he negotiated with the Christian community of Damascus, and undertook to construct a new church for them (St. John's) and allot several pieces of land for other churches, if they relinquished their right to their part of the Mosque. They agreed. It took ten years and eleven million gold dinars, as well as a huge number of masons, artists, builders, carpenters, marble-layers, and painters to complete. It became an architectural model for hundreds of mosques throughout the Islamic world.
A prominent feature of it are the three minarets built in different styles; the upper parts of which were renovated during the Ayoubite, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras. The mosque has a large prayer hall and an enormous courtyard. The interior walls are covered with mosaic panels, made of coloured and gilded glass, portraying scenes from nature. The dome is greyich-blue, celebrated for its magnificence. The prayer hall contains domed shrine venerated by both Christians and Muslims, the tomb of St. John the Baptist.
Countryside damascus - Sayeda Zainab shrine
Zainab al Kubra, peace be upon her, is the daughter of the Caliph Ali Bin Abi Taleb, may God bless him, and the grand daughter of the prophet Muhammad,peace and greetings of God may be settled on him, from his daughter Fatima al Zahraa and sister of Hasan and al Husein.
Her shrine in "al Ghouta” of Damascus is one of the most important Moslem shrines in the world and a wonder of Islamic architecture, visited by hundreds of visitors every day. Historians say that Mr. Mousa Murtadha, grand father of the custodians of the Shrine of Zainab al Kubra constructed the mausoleum from rows of stones, bricks and wood. In 1870 the ceiling crashed down to be renewed with bricks supported by a wooden skeleton by Mr. Salim Murtadha, who gave the custody of the shrine to his son, and then to the oldest of his successors. Now a committee headed jointly by Dr. Hani Murtadha and Eng. Mohammad Ridha Murtadha is sponsoring the site.
In 1952 Eng. Mohammad Ridha Murtadha prepared a general schema for the shrine of Zainab al Kubra with an area of 150 X 190 m, and 90X90 m for the courtyard and 30 X 30 m for the main hall of the shrine. The arcade floor was covered with valuable marble tiles. The shrine has four gates, each is four meters wide with a four meters wide beautiful portico, behind which there are seventy rooms with facades of basalt stones, similar to the facades of old Damascene houses.
The roof of the shrine is 10 m high covered with wonderful Iranian china tiles .The dome is plated with pure gold plates that make it glitter day and night, and add a unique attractive sight to the whole land scape.
If architecture is considered a mold for integrated arts, the Shrine of Sayeda Zainab represents the
aesthetic values of modern Islamic architecture. It enriches the Islamic and world heritage, because it com bines all the types of beautiful arts; namely photography, ornament, calligraphy, in addition to applied arts like china, mirrors, glass blowing, decorations, carpet weaving, book binding and lighting.
To expand the shrine, and under recommendations from the Ministry of Waqf and Ministry of Housing
, the committee bought several neighboring real estates under decree no. 995 of 11 May 1979 and allocated the necessary budgets to start an expansion project which is not fulfilled yet.
The committee is operating the shrine as a religious tourist establishment according to a well studied system with the cooperation of a staff of 90 employees, and an annual budget. One of the tasks of the committee is to sponsor and protect the shrine and its financial resources.
Since the shrine is one of the major religious tourist sites in Syria, visited by more than one and a half million visitor annually, care should be given to provide it with all the necessary services and to help ex ecute the expansion plan which will, sure, support the national income and will develop the region of Sayeda Zainab and change it into a civilized town worthy of the religious and tourist shrine of Zainab al Kubra, peace be upon her.
Countryside damascus - Ma’loula - معلولا
This famous village is some 56 kilometres from Damascus, and is situated at an altitude of more than 1500 metres. Its little houses cling to the face of an enormous rock; they look suspended in mid-air. There are two monasteries here: Saint Sergius and Saint Taqla's. The inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Christ. Two neighbouring villages, Jaba'din and Naj'a also speak the same language. The word Ma'lula means "entrance" in Aramaic.
Countryside damascus - Seidnaya - صيدنايا
Some 30 kilometres from Damascus, the village is spread out over a hilltop, and is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.
It has a famous monastery founded in 547, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The name of the village itself, "Seyda Naya" in Syriac means "Our Lady".
The monastery contains a portrait of the Virgin believed to have been painted by St. Luke.
Damascus, The Chapel of St. Ananias - كنيسة
He was taken unconscious to Damascus, attended by Hananiya, Christ's disciple, and became one of the staunchest advocates of Christianity. His Jewish peers decided to kill him, but he hid in a house by the city wall. The church is located at the site of his escape. He traveled to Antioch, Athens, and Rome, after a brief stay in Jerusalem, and continued to teach the gospel until he died.
Countryside damascus - Zabadani - الزبداني
A summer resort some 45 kilometres north of Damascus, 1175 metres above sea-level. It overlooks the plain of Zabadani, a fertile land with throusands of fruit trees bearing delicious apples, cherries, plums, peaches, and pears. The source of the river Barada is in this plain and it supplies Damascus with water, and irrigates the Ghuta around the city. The source of the river forms a little lake which is surrounded by cafes, restaurants, and play-grounds.
Attracted by its fresh air and beautiful scenery, Damascenes rush to this resort on hot summer days. The area has many hotels and restaurants, cafes and camping sites situated near the banks of the river.
Many Damascenes, however, prefer another nearby resort, Bludan, which spreads over the mountain overlooking Zabadani, at 1500 metres above sea-level, It is cooler here and the scenery is particularly impressive, especially at sunset. Here, too, plenty of hotels, restaurants and cafes cater to the needs of all visitors. Most notable among them is the Grand Hotel, with its spacious terrace that overlooks the entire Zabadani plain.
Also on the hill-top between Zabadani and Bludan, lies the village of Buqein with its famous mineral-spring gushing out of the hillside. It is customary for visitors to stop here and sample this fresh water. This is now bottled and sold in hotels, restaurants and shops throughout the Middle East.
The main resting-spots in this valley are: Ein al-Fijeh, Ein al-Khadra, Bassemeh, al-Ashrafieh, al-Hameh, and al-Rabweh. The eastern Ghuta, where the International Airport is located, is also a most attractive part of the Damascus environs. It is full of fruit orchards with apricot, peach, apple, and pear trees.
Damascus - Landmarks of the New City Damascus
Ever since the eleventh century, when the old city was already too small for its inhabitants and their houses, the city started to expand beyond its walls.
In the Nuri and Ayoubite periods new suburbs emerged; they were separate and independent of the city proper, but they, in turn, continued to grow at such a rate during the Mamluk period that they joined the wall, and the old city became indistinguishable from the new. Most notable among the suburbs was al-Salhieh at the foot of jabal Qassiun, al-Uqiba, al-Midan, and al-Mazzeh, Mamluk princes and sultans also erected numerous schools and mosques beyond the old city walls. During the Ottoman period four new edifices were constructed, namely: Sheikh Muhieddin, al-Takieh al-Suleimaniyeh, al-Darwishieh, and al-Sinanieh. In the nineteenth century, new roads were built across the city along with new residential areas. European architectural styles started to appear. Most important among the buildings of this period are: al-Hamidiyeh Barracks (where part of the University of Damascus stands today), al-Saraya (now housing the Ministry of the Interior), al-Muhajirin Palace (the former Presidential Palace), the National Hospital, and the Law School (now being renovated to accommodate the Ministry of Tourism). Construction of new roads, bridges, hospitals, public parks, hotels, government offices, and new residential suburbs began after Independence and is still going strong today.
Places of interest to the visitor are:
1- The National Museum.
2- Al-Takieh al-Suleimaniyeh.
3- The City of Damascus Historical Museum.
4- Al-Salhieh.
Aleppo - حلب
This is the second capital of Syria (350 km north of Damascus), and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in history. Abraham is said to have camped on the acropolis which, long before his time, served as the foundation of a fortress (where the Aleppo citadel is standing now). He milked his grey cow there, hence Aleppo's name: "Halab al-Shahba".
Ever since the 3rd millennium B.C., Aleppo has been a flourishing city, with a unique strategic position. This position gave the city a distinctive role from the days of the Akhadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. It was the meeting-point of several important commercial roads in the north. This enabled Aleppo to be the link in trade between Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent and Egypt. The Amorites made it their capital in the 18th century B.C.
This position made it subject to invasions from various races; from Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. Aleppo was prominent in the Christian era; it became a Bishopric and a huge cathedral was built in it, which is still standing.
The conflict between Byzantium and Persia, however, resulted in the latter's occupation of Aleppo in 440. The Persians robbed the city, burned considerable parts of it and damaged many of its features. Though expelled by Justinian, the Persians still threatened Aleppo and frightened its inhabitants until the Arab Islamic conquest came in 636. The city then regained its status, both cultural and commercial. Apart from the Omayyad and Abbassid periods in which Aleppo flourished the Hamadani state established by Sayf al-Dawla in 944 made Aleppo the northern capital of Syria. Sayf al-Dawla built Aleppo's famous citadel, and in his days the city enjoyed great prosperity and fame in science, literature and medicine, despite this leader's military ambitions. Mention should be made of the two most prominent poets, al-Mutanabbi and Abu al-Firas; of the philosopher and scientist, al-Farabi; and of the linguist, Ibn Khalaweh, all of whom lived in Sayf al-Dawla's court and were renowned for great knowledge and scholarship.
Aleppo was famous for its architecture; for its attractive churches, mosques, schools, tombs and baths. As an important center of trade between the eastern Mediterranean kingdoms and the merchants of Venice, Aleppo became prosperous and famous in the centuries preceding the Ottoman era. Many of its "khans" (caravanserai) are still in use even today; one of them is called "Banadiqa Khan", "Banadiqa" in Arabic being the term for "inhabitants of Venice".
In the Ottoman age, Aleppo remained an important center of trade with turkey, France, England and Holland. This caused various types of European architecture to be adopted in Aleppo which can be seen in many buildings today.
other Places to visit in Aleppo:
- Al-Jami' al-Kabir (The Great Mosque), similar to the Omayyad mosque in Damascus.
- Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions.
- The National Museum: this includes in particular documents and relics from Ebla and Mari.
- Old schools, churches, mosques, baths and ancient houses.
Places to visit near Aleppo:
Qal'at Sam'an : This citadel is 60 km north-west of Aleppo. It was named after the hermit Saint Simon (Sam'an), a shepherd from northern Syria, who became a monk after a revelation in a dream. Following Saint Simon's death in 459, the Emperor Zenon ordered that a cathedral be built where the saint used to pray.
The layout was original, centering on the famous column from which Saint Simon used to preach. Four basilicas, arranged in the shape of a cross, opened into an octagon covered by a dome, in the center of which stood the holy column.
It is a beautiful church built on the ridge of the hill where Saint Simon had taken up "residence". Simplicity and harmony combine to make the ruins of the Basilica of St. Simon (an earthquake destroyed parts of the church less than half a century after it had been built) a masterpiece of pre-Islamic art in Syria.
In the 10th century, some towers and walls were erected. It was then called "Qal'at Sam'an" (Simon's Citadel). It became the center of conflict between Byzantium and the Hamadani kingdom; in 986, the son of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani finally captured it.
Aleppo - The Aleppo Citadel - قلعة حلب
50m above the city, a ring of crenellated walls and towers rises from a steep glacis, encircling a mass of ruins from every period. It has always been extremely important, both strategically and militarily. It was built in the days of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani, on the remains of earlier civilizations.
The citadel's fortified entrance is a marvelous example of Arab military architecture. On the north and south sides, great towers rise above the moat. This moat, 20m deep and 30m wide, emphasizes the fortress's proud isolation.
The main parts of the citadel are: The throne room, the bathroom, the small mosque (Ibrahim's mosque), the great mosque built in 1213 whose square minaret is 21 m high and from which can be seen a splendid view. Inside the citadel there is a small museum that contains relics uncovered during restoration and reconstruction .
Worth visiting also are the high walls of ancient Aleppo, with their fortified doors (Hadid , Antakia, and Qinsrin) which are a fine example of Islamic military architecture.
Aleppo - Qal'at Sam'an (Saint Simeon) - قلعة سمعان
This citadel is 60 km north-west of Aleppo. It was named after the hermit Saint Simon (Sam'an), a shepherd from northern Syria, who became a monk after a revelation in a dream. Following Saint Simon's death in 459, the Emperor Zenon ordered that a cathedral be built where the saint used to pray.
The layout was original, centering on the famous column from which Saint Simon used to preach. Four basilicas, arranged in the shape of a cross, opened into an octagon covered by a dome, in the center of which stood the holy column.
It is a beautiful church built on the ridge of the hill where Saint Simon had taken up "residence". Simplicity and harmony combine to make the ruins of the Basilica of St. Simon (an earthquake destroyed parts of the church less than half a century after it had been built) a masterpiece of pre-Islamic art in Syria.
In the 10th century, some towers and walls were erected. It was then called "Qal'at Sam'an" (Simon's Citadel). It became the center of conflict between Byzantium and the Hamadani kingdom; in 986, the son of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani finally captured it.
Idleb - Ebla (Tell Mardikh) - ايبلا
This "Tell" is 25 km south-east- of Idleb. It is the site of important and recent archaeological discoveries. Excavations in the "Tell" have revealed a very old Syrian civilization, that of Ebla, which flourished in the 3rd and 2nd millenniums B.C.
In the palace of this great kingdom, a library containing more than 17,000 clay tablets was uncovered. These tablets are the earliest written documents in Syria.
Homs - حمص
Homs is the third most important city in Syria. It lies 160 km to the north of Damascus. Like Petra and Palmyra, Homs was an Arab emirate in the 2nd century B.C. It was also the third station on the "Silk road" after Doura Europos and Palmyra.
It still retains this position of importance today, as the oil pipelines pass through the city.
Unfortunately, many buildings and citadels in Homs were destroyed by ancient earthquakes. There remains only one citadel in the south of the city with its Damascus and Palmyra gates.
The historical city produced many impressive personalities. Bassianos (an emir of Homs), through his daughter's marriage to the Roman emperor, Septimium Severus, who ruled Rome from 193 to 211, sired three rulers, Caracalla. Heliogabalus and Alexander Severus. The city was the birthplace of the famous Syrian philosopher, Longenius, counselor to Queen Zenobia, and of the famous physician, Marlian.
Among the most significant historic constructions remaining in Homs is the mosque of Khaled ibn al-Walid, the great commander of the Muslim Arab armies. Two very tall white-stone minarets lend lightness to the imposing structure. The slender colonnade in black and white stone in horizontal rows is representative of traditional Syrian architecture.
Many churches still stand in Homs from the days of early Christianity in Syria. One of these churches is said to possess the girdle of the Blessed Virgin. The church of St. Elian is unique for its collection of fine frescoes discovered in 1970. These bear inscriptions in Greek and Arabic, and date back to the end of the 12th century. The Nuri mosque also dates back to the 12th century, distinguished for its beautiful entrance.
In the Homs museum, there are many archaeological artifacts dating back to the ancient Syrian, Greek, roman, Byzantine and Arab eras.
The Qattina lake is 15 km from Homs, it is rich in fish, and has the first rainwater dam used in agriculture which dates back to the 2nd millennium B.C. close to this lake is the archaeological hill called.
Homs - Crac des Chevaliers - قلعة الحصن
The most famous medieval citadel in the world, Qal'at al-Hosn is 65 km west of Homs and 75 south-east of Tartus. It is 650 m above sea-level. It was built in order to control the so-called "Homs Gap", the gateway to Sryia. It was through this passage that Syria communicated with the Mediterranean.
In ancient times the importance of this strategic corridor was immense. It was of crucial importance to the Crusaders and other foreign invaders in their conquest of the coast. Conflict over the Crac des Chevaliers continued through the ages. It was a fierce and bloody dispute, but in the end, Sultan Beybars managed to recover it in 1271 through a military trick and one month of fighting.
Carc des Chevaliers was built on the site of a former castle erected by the emirs of Homs to accommodate Kurdish garrisons; "Carc" is a modification of the Arab word "Qal'a". The citadel covers an area of 3000 square meters and has 13 huge towers, in addition to many stores, tanks, corridors, bridges and stables. It can accommodate 5000 soldiers with their horses, their equipment and provisions for five years.
Hama - حماه
The city is 200 km to the north of Damascus and 60 km to the east of Banyas. It is a very ancient city, which has flourished continually since ancient times, and has known the successive civilizations of the Fertile Crescent.
Hama has a long heroic history in defending Syria against foreign invasions. One of the outstanding battles was that of Qarqar, where the Assyrian army was defeated in 853 B.C. Unfortunately, few of its ancient relics have been preserved. However, Hama is well known for its enormous waterwheels ("noriahs") on the Orontes, which are as old as Hama itself.
One of Hama's ancient building is al-Jami' al-Kabir (the Great Mosque), which dates back to the 14th century
and includes two tombs of two emirs who ruled Hama in the 13th century. Another mosque is that of Abu al-Fida,
named after Hama's Sultan, who was a famous Arab geographer and historian. The city is often linked with his name.
A third ancient mosque is the al-Nuri mosque, which was built in the days of Noureddin al-Zanki in 1129; on its wall
appear inscriptions in both Arabic and Greek. Hama is particularly famous for its traditional industries, especially
textiles and cotton cloth.
Hama - Apamea - أفاميا
Apamea is located on the right bank of the Orontes, about 55 km to the northwest of Hama. It overlooks the Ghaab plain. It was built by Saluqos Nikator, the first king of the Seleucids in Syria in 300 B.C. He named it after his wife, Afamia. The city flourished to an extent that its population numbered half a million. As an Eastern crossroads, it received many distinguished visitors: Cleopatra, Septimus Severus and the Emperor Caracalla. In the Christian era, Apamea became a center of philosophy and thought, especially of Monophostism.
Most of the uncovered ruins in it date back to the Roman and Byzantine ages. It is distinguished for its high walls and the main thoroughfare surrounded by columns with twisted fluting. The street is about 2km long and 87m wide. The ruins of the Roman theatre, which have been frequently disturbed, are now a great mass of stone. Its colonnade is 145 m long. Erected in the 2nd century, it was destroyed in the 12th century by two violent earthquakes; some columns are still standing nevertheless. To the west of the city, stands the Mudiq citadel which once formed a defense line along the Orontes. Fierce battles with the Crusaders attempting to conquer it took place in the 12th century, and Nur al-Din finally surrendered it in 1149. The citadel has huge towers, overlooking the Ghaab plain. It also has a khan built by the turks in the 16th century, and transformed into an archacological museum which houses Apamea's mosaics.
To the south of Mudiq castle lies the citadel of Shaizar overlooking the Orontes. In the Middle Ages it could only be reached by a draw-bridge. The main tower of the citadel is square in shape and overlooks the defensive fortresses. Arabic inscriptions from the Mamluk periods appear over its entrance. The citadel was rebuilt by the Mamluks after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1157. The Crusaders tried to occupy it several times, but in vain.
Suwayda - Chahba (Sweida Province) - شهبا
In the Jabal al-Arab region 90 kilometres south-east of Damascus. Shahba stands in an oasis of orchards and vineyards. Renowned as the birthplace of the Syrian Emperor Philip who ruled the Roman Empire between 244 and 249 A.D. to honour him, the city bore the name Philipopolis during the Roman period. He took a personal interest in the city, planned it after the Roman style, built numerous palaces and temples in it, erected triumphal arches and public baths, a theatre and a great wall surrounding it. He is said to have wanted to turn Shahba into a replica of Rome itself.
Visitors to the Shahba museum can see the immense mosaic panels representing ancient Greek myths; the god of wine and fertility Dionysus, the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, and the legendary poet and musician Orpheus. Another collection of Shahba's mosaic panels is in the National Museum in Damascus.
Remains of the city temple (Philipon), some public baths, parts of the old wall and its four gates, as well as the two intersecting thoroughfares and the Roman Canal can still be seen in the town.
Situated some 90 kilometres south-east of Damascus, it is well-known for its plentiful vineyards. It stands 1100 metres above sea-level, and was known by the name of Suwada (little black town) in the Nabatean period, because it was built with black volcanic stone. The Romans, in the 3rd century, considered it one of the most important towns in the Province of Arabia and called it Dionysus.
Ruins of ancient civilizations are numerous but widely scattered; some of the most notable of these, along with a collection of exquisite mosaics discovered in 1962, are now housed in the Sweida Museum. One part of this mosaic collection represents Artemis, goddess of chastity and the hunt, surrounded by her nymphs when she is surprised by a hunter while bathing. This fine roman work dates back to the sixth century. Another scene portrays the birth of Venus and the wedding of Thetis. Statues carved in hard basalt show signs of a mixture of Nabatean, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab influences.
There are also the ruins of a 3rd century Roman temple surrounded by a colonnade of Corinthian columns.
Suwayda - Qanawat - قنوات
7 kilometres east of Sweida, it was a city of great importance during the Roman period. In the year 60 B.C., the Romans named it one of the Decapolis League of commercial cities of which Damascus was chief city. This position of importance explains the abundance and richness of its ruins which are among the most interesting in the whole Jabal al-Arab region.
The location of Qanawat lends beauty to its remains; the village lies stretched along the crest of a hill and extends down the side of a valley full of trees, orchards, meadows and fields.
Of greatest interest to the visitor is a cluster of columns which were part of a 2nd century temple dedicated to the sun god Helios. Another temple of the same period dedicated to Zeus was built with decorated basalt. Of this temple there are only six columns left. On the right side of the valley there are the remains of an Odeon.
Suwayda - Bosra - بصرى
Situated in the vast Hawran plain, some 145 kilometres south of Damascus. It is an extremely ancient city mentioned in the lists of Tutmose III and Akhenaten in the fourteenth century B.C. The first Nabatean city in the second century B.C., it bore the name Buhora, but during the Hellenistic period, it was known by the name of Bustra. Later the Romans took an active interest in the city, and at the time of the Emperor Trajan it was made the capital of the Province of Arabia (in 106 B.C.) and was called Neatrajana Bustra. The city saw its greatest period of prosperity and expansion then, became a crossroads on the caravan routes and the official seat and residence of the Imperial Legate. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Bosra played a significant role in the history of early Christianity. It was also linked to the rise of Islam, when a Nestorian monk called Bahira, who lived in the city, met the yound Muhammad when his caravan stopped at Bosra, and predicted his prophetic vocation and the faith he was going to initiate.
The oldest Islamic square minarets (still standing) are found in Bosra, whose prosperous role as an important halt for pilgrims on the way to mecca lasted until the 17th century.
The most interesting part of the city today is the famous Roman theatre built in the second century A.D., which seats 15 thousand spectators, and is considered one of the most beautiful and well-preserved of Roman amphitheatres in the world. The stage is 45 metres long and 8 metres deep. Every summer, it hosts Arab and international performers who entertain audiences during the Bosra Art Festival against a majestic background of Roman columns and arches.
The city itself contains a great number of Roman ruins, a part of the Byzantine Bahira Church, as well as the al-Mabrak Mosque, which is said to have been erected on the site where the Prophet's camel stopped to rest. There is also the Omar Mosque (also called the al-Arouss Mosque), which is the only one of its type remaining from the early days of Islam, and it retains its 7th century primitive form.
An important Muslim citadel, dating back to the Ayoubite and Mamluk period still stands, and one of its towers now houses a museum of Antiquities and Traditional Arts.
Bosra - Bahira monk convent - دير الراهب بحيرا
It was built in the four century A.D. on the Baseleky style. lt counts the oldest church in the city. The most important thing is "the Altar" and its over high arch which the middle of dome that built up from the burned volcanic stones rests on. lt was said, this monk had met the prophet "Mohammad" before the mission.
Palmyra - تدمر
Syria has always been a center where East an West meet with their varied civilization. It is no wonder that Syria is the cradle of civilization, which flourished throughout history. Monuments, the most important archaeological sites, impregnable castles, citadels and dead cities narrate the glorious history of ancient nations.
The basaltic and the limestone ruins tell about a marvelous architectural art. The Corinthian columns, the khans spread all over the Silk Road, the castles still towering from the Medieval ages, the mosques and palaces are the witnesses of a great rich history.
To know Syria is to have knowledge of a legendary world. Palmyra, for example, is like a pearl in the heart of the desert, Palmyra, rising from the sands, is one of the most graceful and splendid ancient sites in the East, for the glory and the greatness are still evident and fully years after its construction by the Arab Queen Zenobia. It remains one of most famous capitals of the ancient world.
Palmyra is separated by some one hundred kilometers of steppe from the lush valley of the Orontes, to the west. There are more than two hundred kilometers of desert to the cross before you reach the fertile banks of the Euphrates, to the east. To Both north and south there is nothing but sand and stone. But here at Palmyra a last fold of the Anti- Lebanon forms a kind of basin on the edge of which a spring rises out of a long underground channel whose depth has never been measured. This spring is called Afqa (or Ephka) in inscriptions, an Aramaic word meaning " way out'. Its clear blue, slightly sulphurous waters are said to have medicinal properties; they have fed an oasis here with olives and date- palms and cotton and cereals. For generation this oasis was known as Tadmor.
Palmyra - Qasr Al-Hir Al Gharbi - قصر الحير الشرقي
45 km south-west of Tadmor (Palmyra), built by the Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik in the 8th century, this palace is square and surrounded by a huge wall, at each corner of which there is a round tower. At each side of the main gate there are two half-rounded towers. It has a courtyard with columns with Corinthian crowns.
Lattakia - اللاذقية
Latakia is Syria's main sea-port on the Mediterranean (186 km southwest of Aleppo). It has retained its importance since ancient times. Latakia was one of the five cities built by Saluqos Nikator in the 2nd century B.C. He named it after his mother, Laudetia.
Not many ancient remains have survived in Latakia, but there are four columns and a Roman arch from the time of Septimus Severus (circa 200 A.D.), in addition to a beautiful Ottoman construction called "Khan al-Dukhan", which is now a museum.
Latakia is the sea-gate to Syria. It is well-provided with accommodation, and is well-placed as a base from which to explore the coastal regions of the country.
There are beaches, mountains, archaeological sites and many relics of the Crusaders, all within a few hours from each other.
Mention should also be made of the historically important Ras Shamra, only 16km to the north of Latakia. This is the site of Ugarit, the kingdom that had a golden past in administration, education, diplomacy, law, religion and economics between the 16th and 13th centuries B.C. It is the kingdom that gave humanity the first alphabet in the world. This alphabet is still preserved on a clay tablet at the National Museum in Damascus.
Documents, statues and jewels from the Ugarit kingdom are also on display at the Latakia, Aleppo and Tartus museums.
Jableh is another Syrian seaside town, 28 km to the south of Latakia.
It has a theatre built to accommodate 7,000 to 8,000 spectators. Close to Jableh is Tel Sokas, where archaeological relies were recently found, now on exhibition at the Damascus and Tartus museums.
Lattakia - Ras Al-Bassit - رأس البسيط
Located on the northern part of the Syrian shore, about 40 km to the north of Latakia, it is one of the most beautiful spots on the Mediterranean: a wide bay, with clear water and clean sand, surrounded by mountains and green hills. Chalets, camping sites and restaurants along the shore make Ras al-Bassit all the more attractive to visitors.
Lattakia - Ugarit- أوغاريت
10 km south of Draykish, 35 km east of Tartus and 350 m above sea-level, Safita is surrounded by hills covered with olive trees and flowers on all sides.
Nowadays called Ras Shamra, 16 km to the north of Lattakia. This is the site of Ugarit, the kingdom that had a golden past in administration, education, diplomacy, law, religion and economics between 16th and 13th centuries BC.
It is the kingdom that gave humanity the first alphabet in the world. Experts have confirmed the connection between this alphabet and other alphabets now in common use.
This alphabet is still preserved on a clay tablet at the National Museum in Damascus
Documents, statues and jewels from the Ugarit kingdom is also on display at the Lattakia, Aleppo and Tartus museums.
The present-day town with its tiled roofs stands on the site of the fortress that was called "Castle of Blanc" by the Crusaders. One of its huge towers, about 38 m high is still standing; this tower contains a chapel which has never been deconsecrated: Christians still hold their services in it.
Its houses are beautifully designed with brick roofing, An international hotel operates in it. A number of various tourist attractions exist in Safita: Sleiman Castle, Al-Arima fortress, Yahmur fortress, Qal'at al-Hosn (Carc des Chevaliers), Qal'at Salah al-Din, Qal'at al-Marqab (al-Marqab Citadel)
Lattakia , Salaheddin Castle - قلعة صلاح الدين
Though the importance of the position had been exploited before the Crusades, this castle was described as the most impregnable Crusader fortress. It stands on a rocky spur whose vertical walls rise above the junction of two fast-flowing streams. As late as 1965 it was impossible to reach it except on foot or on horseback by a difficult climb, first downhill and then up again after fording a stream. The fortress was completely isolated from the plateau by a deep ditch dug right through the connecting neck of land. The ditch was 156m long, 18 m deep. Its vertical walls show a smooth, fine yellowish rock surface.
Today there is a drawbridge and a road which provide easy access to the foot of this "eagle's nest".
Visitors can park their cars at the bottom of this ditch, opposite the horses's managers and hitching holes carved out of the rock.
Tartous - Safita - صافيتا
10 km south of Draykish, 35 km east of Tartus and 350 m above sea-level, Safita is surrounded by hills covered with olive trees and flowers on all sides.
The present-day town with its tiled roofs stands on the site of the fortress that was called "Castle of Blanc" by the Crusaders. One of its huge towers, about 38 m high is still standing; this tower contains a chapel which has never been deconsecrated: Christians still hold their services in it.
Its houses are beautifully designed with brick roofing, An international hotel operates in it. A number of various tourist attractions exist in Safita: Sleiman Castle, Al-Arima fortress, Yahmur fortress, Qal'at al-Hosn (Carc des Chevaliers), Qal'at Salah al-Din, Qal'at al-Marqab (al-Marqab Citadel)
Hosn Suleiman (Sleiman Castle) - Tartous
25 km from Safita; 14 km beyond Draykish, in the direction of Misyaf. "Hosn Sleiman" is the Arabic name for the site of ancient Baetocece; it was here, in the heart of these wild mountains cut through by ravines, that the inhabitants of Aradus (the present Isle of Arwad) once built a temple dedicated to Baal and Astarte.
Raqqa - الرقة
Located on the left bank of the Euphrates between Aleppo (188 km) and Deir al-Zor (105 km). It is an ancient city built by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C. In 662 the Caliph Mansur built, on the ruins of Raqqa, a new city imitating the style of Baghdad which he called "Rafiqa". Invaded by the Mongols in the 12th century. Raqqa has few remains left from that period. These were built by the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in the Abbasside age. Some remains of ancient Raqqa survive today. Those built in pink tile reflect a particular style of architecture.
Of the Jam'I al-Kabir (the Great Mosque), there remains only the minaret, which was reconstructed by Nur al-Din in 1166. Pottery and glass were famous and there is a museum in the city which contains many relics of ancient Raqqa. A lot of these relics can also be seen in museums in new York, Washington and other Western cities.
Raqqa is beginning to flourish again, and to play an important economic role (after the building of the Euphrates Dam) in the life of Modern Syria.
Rassafa - الرصافة
It is located south of the Euphrates and north of the Syrian semi-desert, 160 km south-east of Aleppo and
30 km south of the Aleppo-Raqqa road.
Rasafeh palace was the residence of Hisham ibn Abdul malik, the third Omayyad Caliph, whose age was a golden one, due to his great interest in the arts and in architecture. He had several palaces built in various parts of Syria. He was in favour of simplicity and modesty; this is why he chose Rasafeh as his residence. There, he died and was buried.
The palace was originally a church, built to commemorate a Roman officer (St. Sergius), who died in defence of Christianity in the 4th century. In 616, the church was invaded by the Persians, robbed and destroyed. When Hisham ibn Abdul Malik became a caliph in the 8th century, he built two beautiful palaces on its site. Later, the Abbassids invaded and destroyed what the Caliph Hisham had built. Very little of the ruins of the Mar Sarkis church remain. Parts of the church have been used as a mosque; inscriptions in both Arabic and Greek, engraved on the walls, indicate that Christians and Muslims co-existed peacefully in Syria from the 13th century onwards.
Deirezzor - دير الزور
320 km south-east of Aleppo, Deir al-Zor is the most important urban center in the east of Syria. Its river is the Euphrates, lifeline of the region and fount of civiliation throughout the ages. With the formation of Lake al-Assad, it is now possible to regulate its once capricious flow and to make plans for new harvests.
85 km south of Deir al-Zor, on the western bank of the Euphrates, is the archacological site of the birthplace of Selcueus, near the Arab village of Salihiyeh. This was the historic town built by Seleucus Nicator, Alexander's lieutenant, the fortified twon of Doura Europos. This town was closely linked with Palmyra, serving as an important forward-line of defense against the Persians.
The site did not attract significant attention until 1921 when some mural paintings were discovered in a temple (there were sixteen temples dedicated to the various gods of palmyra, at present in the national Museum at Damascus). Many other discoveries followed, notably frescoes dating from 235 A.D., which were in a remarkable state of preservation. They too, were transported to the Damascus Museum in 1936. Doura Europos, however, is still a place of interest for visitors.
Halabia and Zalabiya - حلبيا وزلبيا
North-east of Deir al-Zor, there is a vast enclosing wall with three fortified gateways which enfolds within its towers a town that dates from Byzantine days. Both halabiya and Zalabiya were forward-defence lines against Persian invasions. At Mayadin is the Rahbi Citadel, which was built by Assad al-Din Shirgoh, the uncle of Salah al-Din al-Ayoubi.
Kingdom of Mari(Tell Hariri) - ماري - طريق الحرير
120 km south of this town is the site of the Kingdom of Mari (Tell hariri), near Abu Kamal. This kingdom dates back to the 3rd millennium b.C. It was ruled by kings of the 10th dynasty after the flood. The discovery of mari (1932), like the recent discovery of Ebla (1975), attracted the attention of archaeologists and researchers in various fields. Twenty thousand tablets with their cuneiform inscription recount the political and diplomatic life in these kingdoms. Many of the remains and relics, statues, jewels, tablets and stamps are now at the Damascus, Aleppo, Deir al-Zor and Paris museums.
Another archaeological site is at the intersection of the Euphrates and of the Khabur near Mayadin (Tell al-Ashara), where the ancient city of Tarqa, the capital of the Khana kingdom, flourished in the 2nd millennium B.C. after the fall of Mari. The wall that surrounded the city is one of the most enormous of the ancient world; it had a diameter of 20m.
Food, Falafel - الفلافل
Falafel, deep-fried chickpea patties, are available for 15 to 30 SP.
Food, Foul - الفول
Don't let the name put you off. It's actually pronounced �fool� and this fava bean paste � topped off with cumin, paprika and olive oil and served with flatbread, fresh mint and onion � is not only tasty but satisfying and filling.
Food, Hummus - الحمّص
Hummus is one of the more popular Middle Eastern dips. Served with fresh or toasted pita bread, hummus makes for a great snack with appetizer. topped off with chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic and olive oil.
Food, Baba Ghannouj - بابا غنوج
Has a unique smoky eggplant flavor. A wonderful addition to any party or dinner table. topped off with large eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, parsley.
Food, Tabouleh - التبولة
Tabouleh is a salad like no other. Made with fresh veggies, olive oil and spices, it can be eaten in pita bread, scooped onto pita bread, or eaten traditionally with a fork. In the Middle East, fresh grape leaves are used as a scoop. Tabouleh can be made with a variety of veggies according to taste. You can add carrots, cucumbers, red or green onions.
Food, Salad of Fatoush - سلطة الفتوش
Salad such as Fatoush: with your soup. Chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and herbs are mixed together in a dressing and finished off with a sprinkling of fried bread that resembles croutons. Cheese may also be grated on top.
Food, shwarma - شاورما
Meat such as shwarma: cost 35 to 50 SP. A half-chicken with bread and mayonnaise dip to take away costs 175 SP.
Sweets, Nammoura - النمورة
A traditional sweet treat that everyone enjoys, especially kids. Topped off with cream of wheat, butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, milk, sugar, almonds.
Sweets, Baklava - البقلاوة
Baklava is such a dessert of passion. The passion it takes to make it, enjoying the sweet taste with each bite, makes it a dessert that is one of a kind. Opped off with walnuts or pistachio nuts, sugar, butter, frozen filo dough and water.
Sweets, Qatayef - القطايف
Qatayef is a special dessert, commonly served during Ramadan. Sometimes called "arabic pancakes", qatayef is filled with sweet cheese or nuts and then fried or baked.