Aleppo Citadel Apamea Bosra St. Simeon Church Crac des Chevaliers Umayyad Mosque Damascus Hama Palmyra

Places to Visit

Aleppo: The second largest town of Syria is Aleppo in the north of the country. Here in the center you find the Citadel, a large medieval fortified palace. Dating back minimum to the 9th century BC it is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Worth seeing are the Grand Mosque, Khans and the Suq, the longest in the Middle East.

Apamea: Under the name Pharnake the town at the Orontes river was one of the most beautiful cities of the Hellenistic Orient founded in the 3rd century BC. Worth seeing is the Colonnaded Street, which is about 1.85 km and approximately 37 m wide. It was used for wheeled transport and lined on both sides with building 

Bosra: An attractive place of black basalt stone is Bosra in southern Syria, once the capital of the Roman Province of Arabia Petraea. The large Roman theatre from second century, embedded in an Arab fortress and offering space for 15.000 spectators, is the main attraction. Moreover to see are some old mosques and churches.

Church of St. Simeon: The Christian ascetic and saint Simeon Stylites lived and preached from 423 to 459 on a small platform on a stone pillar. 30 km northwest of Aleppo you can see the remains of a basilica, which had been built around the Simeon-pillar. The place, known in Arabic as Qal'aat Siman, had been an important pilgrimage site.

Crac des Chevaliers: About two hours from Damascus you see the mightiest and best preserved crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers. It was built in the 12th century to dominate the pass which is the Syrian gateway to the Mediterranean. The castle was extended and strengthened by the monastic order of the Hospitallers and controlled by them for 127 years.

Damascus: In the capital of Syria there is a lot to discover. The Umayyad Mosque holds a shrine alleged to contain the head of John the Baptist. In a small garden of the mosque you find the tomb of Salah al-Din. A good example for old traditional houses is the Azem Palace built in 1750 as residence for the Ottoman governor Pasha al Azem. The building is separated in a family wing (haramlik) and a guest wing (salamlik). And don't forget suq al-Hamidiyya, the most famous marketplace arched over with a high roof.

Hama: On the way from Damascus to Aleppo the town Hama is located at the river Orontes. Here you see the Norias, which are some of the oldest waterwheels in the world and provided once fields and gardens with water. Still today the town is an important agricultural center and a good base for making excursions to Crac des Chevaliers and Apamea.

Palmyra: In the north of the Syrian desert, about 240 km away from Damascus, visitors find the ancient city of Palmyra. It has been a rich caravan station, later became a Roman outpost and a major city-state within the Roman Empire in the 1st century. Palmyra is also known for the ruler Zenobia. She tried to expand Palmyra's influence in Asia Minor and Egypt, but the Romans arrested her 272. Main attractions are the Arab Castle, the Temple of Bel, the Great Colonnade, the Tetrapylon and the Valley of the Tombs.