SYRIA

AREAS OF INTEREST

Damascus  Damascus is the capital of Syria. Many different civilizations have left their traces in this ancient city, but the principal attractions for visitors are the reminders of the fine Islamic heritage, which date from the era of the first Arab conquests. In the Old City, the Omayyad Mosque is famous for its golden mosaics and the head of John the Baptist it contains. Travelers should enjoy strolling and shopping at the souks of Damascus, famous since ancient times for their craftwork such as Damask tissues, wood inlayed with mother-of-pearl, and copper vases.

Aleppo  Considered the oldest inhabited city in the world, Aleppo has always been a city of trade - before the Suez Canal, it used to link Europe and Asia. Covering the area of 8 kilometers, the souks of Aleppo are certainly the biggest and most charming in the Middle East. They have preserved their picturesque traditional divisions into specialized markets such as the jewelry souk, carpet souk, etc.

Palmyra  A 2000-years old city and crossroad in the middle of the Syrian Desert, Palmyra has been famous since a female monarch, Queen Zenobia, challenged the Roman emperor Aurelian and ruled for six years. The ruins of Palmyra give an idea of the important role this city played. The colonnades, the temples devoted to Bel and Balshamin, the funeral towers and the Necropolis Valley merit a visit. Palmyra stands in an oasis of palm trees and offers a dramatic spectacle; a medieval fortress on top of a hill, gloomy under an infinite sky, and a skeleton of a city whitened by a ruthless sun.

The Dead Cities and Serjilla  To the southwest of Aleppo situated in a triangular area of 8,500 square kilometers, are the Dead Cities, dozens of ruined Roman-Byzantine sites, of which Bara, Serjilla and Ruweiha are the most interesting and easily reached. Serjilla is one of the 500 Dead Cities that were built between the 4^th and 7^th centuries and disappeared around the 9^th century for unknown reasons. It is a beautifully preserved Roman provincial town, the necropolis area contains a large stone sarcophagus and down the hill are the remains of the public baths, beautifully intact.

Bosra  The impressive Nabatean and Roman remains of Bosra are some of the oldest and most important monuments of the Christian and Islamic faiths in Syria which are astonishingly well preserved due to the black basalt out of which the town is built.

Crac des Chevaliers  The greatest of all Crusader castles, and one of the greatest sights of Syria, Crac des Chevaliers was described by T.E. Lawrence as ‘perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world.