SYRIA  >  MIDDLE EAST  >  INDEX


Provinces in Syria : Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda, Dara, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus

Capital of Syria : Damascus


car hire, hotels, travel agencies, travel guides, transportation / traveling to syria

links


Car Rentals

 Hertz

Hotels in Syria

 All-hotels.com 
 Expedia.com

More Hotels? See the page Hotels

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

 Ancient World Travel & Tours - Syria, Lebanon & Jordan
Ancient World Travel & Tourism is proud to introduce itself as a companion to you in Syria, putting at your disposal it's well trained staff, professional management, close relations with Hotels management, transportation companies and tour operators all over Jordan, Lebanon and the surrounding countries.



Incoming Tour Operator

 Minerva Tours
Daily regular tours, excursions, hotel reservations, sightseeing, seminars & conferences, tailor made tours.

Travel Guides Syria / Related Books

 Amazon.com - Books about Syria

Syria: The Bradt Travel Guide 
Book Description : This ambitious new Bradt guide aims to promote a responsible, nonintrusive kind of tourism by offering visitors more than mere descriptions of sites, hotels, and restaurants, stimulating a genuine interest and understanding of the people and their role in modern-day Syria. The country possesses some of the most impressive historical sites in the Mediterranean. Damascus and the surrounding area are covered in detail, with the Roman caravan city of Palmyra and the Crusader castle of Crac des Chevaliers being just two of the featured attractions.Paperback: 312 pages; Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 1.00 edition (October 1, 2006); Language: English; ISBN-13: 978-1841621623
Lonely Planet Syria & Lebanon - Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys
This guide to Syria and Lebanon offers political, historical and cultural information as well as tips on how to get involved in an archaeological dig and details of souqs, mosques and Crusader castles.
Paperback 424 pages (August 2004); Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; Language: English; ISBN: 1864503335.
The Rough Guide to Syria - Andrew Beattie, Timothy Pepper
The Rough Guide to Syria is the essential guide to this compact but culturally rich Middle Eastern country. Features include: Thorough accounts of all the monuments, from the ancient remains at Palmyra and Ugarit to stately mosques and hilltop crusader castles. Practical advice on shopping in the souks of Damascus and Aleppo and exploring the desert plains. Informed guidance on how to travel independently, and where to eat and sleep, in every price range. Detailed background on the country's history, culture, architecture and politics.
Paperback 368 pages (May 31, 2001); Publisher: Rough Guides; Language: English; ISBN: 1858287189
Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City 
Brigid Keenan, Tim Beddow (Photographer), Wafic Said (Preface)
Damascus, reputed to be the oldest continually inhabited city on earth, has enjoyed eras of immense power, and great cultural and artistic achievement. Alongside some of the most magnificent architecture in the Islamic world, such as the Umayyad Mosque, the city can also boast a heritage of fairytale palaces and sumptuous private houses now threatened by neglect. This book sets out to record these architectural gems and to raise the awareness of the outside world to the plight of the Old City of Damascus before it is too late. The authors were given unprecedented access to the "hidden" city in order to complete the task. The text describes Damascus through the ages, gives an account of daily life and concludes with descriptions of the houses and the people who built and lived in them.
Paperback 224 pages (September 1, 2001); Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd. Language: English; ISBN: 0500282994

Transportation / How do I travel to Syria

 Damascus International Airport - see Wikipedia

 Emirates US  -  Flight tickets Damascus

 Airline Tickets / Bargain Flights 

 Syrian Air  - flights to Damascus / Flight tickets Damascus

 Al-Hijaz Railway Company
Take a sentimental train journey to the Zabadani Valley near Damascus, with churning drivers, the sound of escaping steam, and a whistle blowing. The result is an illusion of a time that once was - the era of wood and coal burning steam-driven engines.

 Online Map of Syria [ Uni Texas - Perry-Castañeda Library - Map Collection ]


Links 

 Travel Insurance

 Syria Tourism
General Information: History of Syria, Damascus, Southern Provinces, Mid-Western Provinces, North-Eastern Provinces, Museums, Tourists Impressions, Maps, Archeological Discoveriers
Tourist Information: Hotels, Restaurants, Cafés, Cafeterias, Cabanas, Cinemas, Tourist Agents, Apartments, Ancient Bathrooms
 Syria Online - Tourism

 Damascus - national capital
Damascus is a mixture of old and new. In the modern part of the city there are up-to-date homes, hotels and government buildings. Whereas in the Old City, you can watch the graceful minarets and domes of more than 200 mosques rise above the famous one-story Damascene houses.
Damascus is famous for its bazaars. Bazaars are streets lined with shops, stalls and cafes. One of these is the "Street Called Straight", mentioned in the Bible in connection with St. Paul's conversion to Christianity. The tomb of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahia in the Quran) is situated in the Grand Umayyad Mosque in the centre of the old city. The Umayyad Mosque is the symbol of Damascus. Built by Caliphate Al-Walid I in the 7th century, this mosque is a wonderful example for Islamic art and architecture. Other historic monuments in Damascus include the Azem Palace, a typical Damascene house of the 18th century.

Landmarks of Old Damascus: The Wall and Gates, The Omayyad Mosque, The Azem Palace, Damascus Citadel en de The Souqs.
Landmarks of the New City: The National Museum, Al-Takieh al-Suleimaniyeh, The City of Damascus Historical Museum en Al-Salhieh

 Al Hasakah [ muhafazah ]
 Al Ladhiqiyah
 Al Qunaytirah
 Ar Raqqah
 As Suwayda'
 Dar'a
 Dayr az Zawr
 Dimashq
 Halab
 Hamah
 Hims
 Idlib
 Rif Dimashq
 Tartus

 Aleppo
The second largest city of Syria, Aleppo, lays claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world . In the centre of Aleppo is the magnificent Aleppo Citadel, considered to be the oldest in the world, the Great Mosque, and the Aleppo souk, which is the longest covered souk in the world. There are over 200 'Dead Cities' within a radius of 60km around Aleppo, some of which date back to the first century AD.
 Bosra al Shaam - an Amazing Historic City
Situated at about 40 km east of Deraa, Bosra, is excellently well-preserved and of monuments of great dimensions- a monumental town like Palmyra and Petra. Once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca, Bosra has conserved within its thick walls a magnificent Roman theatre from the 2nd century early Christian ruins and several mosques.
 Homs
 Latakia / Lattakia  [ Saladdin Castle ]
Latakia is Syria's main seaport on the Mediterranean. It lies 186 km southwest of Aleppo, 348 km northwest of Damascus. It has retained its importance since ancient times.
Latakia's history goes back a long way. In the 2nd Millennium BC Latakia was part of the Kingdom of Ugarit. Ugarit a Syro-Phoenician kingdom is being excavated at the moment about 20 km north of Latakia. Then it fell to the Assyrians, and then the Persians.
Devastating earthquakes in 494 and 555 badly damaged Latakia, but it was rebuilt by Justinian. Latakia was taken in AD 638 by the Arabs, in 1097 - 1103 by the crusaders, and in 1188 by Saladin. Subsequently the town was administered by Christians from Tripoli, Muslims from Hama, and the Ottoman Turks; it came within the French mandate of Syria and Lebanon in 1920.
 Maaloula / Ma'lula
 Palmyra
 Tartous
 Zabadani

 Bimaristan al-Noury
 Khan Al Shouneh in Aleppo
The Khan was built in 1548, to function as a center of crafts, with revenues dedicated to the Khesro Islamic school [ founded by the pious governor of Aleppo, Khesro Paghi, during the Ottoman reign ]
Krak Des Chevaliers - kruisvaarderskasteel
'The most admirable castle in the whole world', this is what Lawrence of Arabia had to say about the greatest of Crusades castles in Syria. The Castle is located at an altitude of 650 meters, on the top of a volcanic cliff. The view, as seen from its towers, covers a vast land extending from Mount Lebanon to the valleys of Homs and the Mediterranean shores.
 Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian
 Saladin's Tomb and its neighboring Schools
 Seydnaya - Greek-Orthodox monastry with a miraculous icon
Muslim and Christian pilgrimages alike head to Seidnaya from Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to pay homage to this great shrine.
A legend tells that the monastery was founded in the sixth century. When the Byzantine Emperor Justinian was chasing a deer on to the top of the hill during a hunting game, and just as he was about to draw his bow, the deer miraculously converted into the Virgin Mary and commanded him to build a convent on the rock.
 Shrine of Saida Zeinab
 Soukhs in Damascus
Souq al-Hamidiyeh, Souq Midhat Pasha, Souq al-Harir en Souq Al-Bzourieh
 St. Paul's Church
 Tekiya Soulaimainya
Superbly positioned on the river Barada strand between the National Museum and the Victoria bridge, this great example of Islamic architecture is considered as one of the most refined and poetic buildings in Syria.
Works on the Tekiya Soulaimanya started in 1445, and did not complete till 1450. It was built to serve as a meeting station for caravans of pilgrims heading to Mecca for the holy Hajj.

Cuisine - Syrian cooking

Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen: A Culinary Journey through Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan
By Sonia Uvezian
First-rate cookbook that provides a wide spectrum of authentic and easy-to-follow recipes that make use of healthful and readily available ingredients. Both the narrative and illustrations are fascinating, and there are also some wonderful menu suggestions; ASIN 0970971680
Flavours of the Levant Home Cooking from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey 
Nada Saleh
A selection of recipes from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, an area known as the Levant. Each section in the book introduces one of the regions, followed by instructions for starters, main courses and desserts. It is full of healthy-eating ideas and recipes for favourite Middle-Eastern dishes.
Hardcover 288 pages (May 10, 2002); Publisher: Robson Books Ltd.; Language: English
ISBN: 1861054467

 Culinair - Arabian recipes

History of Syria

Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

 Syria's History  -  Wikipedia
Eblan civilization; Syria in Antiquity; Early Christian and Islamic history; French Occupation; Instability and growth: independence to 1970; Ba'ath Party rule under Hafiz al-Assad, 1970-2000; 21st century
The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (c.16,000300 BC) 
Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, Glenn M. Schwartz
This book is the first comprehensive presentation of the archaeology of Syria from the end of the Paleolithic period to 300 BC. Although Syria has been the focus of intensive excavations for decades, no large-scale review of the results of these excavations has ever appeared until now. Syria is one of the prime areas of excavation and archaeological field work in the Middle East, and Peter Akkermans and Glenn Schwartz outline the many important finds yielded by Syria, before providing their own perspectives and conclusions.
Paperback 350 pages (February 2004); Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Language: English; ISBN: 0521796660 
Syria: Revolution From Above - Raymond Hinnesbusch
This study examines the development of the Syrian state as it has emerged under thirty-five years of military -Ba'thist rule and, particularly, under President Hafiz al-Asad. It analyses the way in which the fragility of the post-independence state, unable to contain rising nationalist struggle and class conflict, opened the way to the Ba'th party's rise to power and examines how the Ba'th's 'revolution from above' transformed Syria's socio-political terrain. The mixed strategy of power concentration under Asad is then examined and the way in which the creation of a presidential monarchy buttressed by trusted kin and clients commanding instruments of repression was combined with the creation of Lenninst-like political organization incorporating a rural constinuency. Subsequent state-society relations, including the rise of a new class, Islamic rebellion, the survival of civil society and Asad's resort to political decompression as a substitute for democratisation are then surveyed. The author moves on to assess the political economy of economic development, showing how agrarian reform, industrialization and economic liberalization created a more equitable and diverse but fundamentally flawed state-dominated economy. The final chapter examines how Asad's foreign policy has turned Syria from a victim to an actor in the regional struggle for power.
Paperback 200 pages (August 1, 2002); Publisher: RoutledgeCurzon; Language: English; ISBN: 0415285682
Antioch -  Christine Kondoleon (Editor)
This exhibition catalogue brings to life the ancient city of Antioch - once the ancient capital of Syria and the gateway to the east and west. The colour plates feature artefacts excavated, including: mosaics; sculpture; glass and metalwork.
Hardcover 352 pages (December 1, 2000); Publisher: Princeton University Press; Language: English; ISBN: 0691049327 

Music, Culture & Entertainment

Syrians have contributed to Arabic literature and music and have a proud tradition of oral and written poetry.

Syria: Cradle of Civilizations  -  by Alain Cheneviere
Syria's archaeological riches make its claim to be the cradle of civilizations incontestable. Excavations of the towns in the Middle-Euphrates show civilization flourishing in Syria at the time of the earliest great civilizations of Persia, Mesopotamia and Egypt. And since then, a series of great empires has risen and fallen in the area, and all have left their mark on the country. Syria was conquered and settled by the Assyrians, who in turn gave way to the great Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Then subsequent Persian dominance was ended by the Macedonian King Alexander the Great, and Syria became Hellenized, with Antioch as capital of Macedonian Babylon. Evidence of Roman rule is everywhere, but it most impressive in Palmyra. Indeed, Syria's importance to the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire founded by Constantine can be seen by the numerous Christian churches. Fortifications such as the magnificent "Krak des Chevaliers" recall the long struggles between Muslims and Christian Crusaders. And the Ottoman Empire brought Syria commercial prosperity and further treasures. But this turbulent past has contributed to more than archaeological wealth. The vibrance of modern Syria, as witnessed in commercial cities like Damascus and Aleppo, is a testament to the cultural intermingling over the millennia. The most vivid contrast is afforded by the unchanging lifestyle of the Bedouin in the vast deserts which cover more than half the country. In this series of photographs, accompanied by an informative text, Alain Cheneviere offers the reader a taste of this extraordinary diversity.
Hardcover 192 pages (November 4, 1996); Publisher: Stacey International; Language: English; ISBN: 0905743989
Monuments of Syria: An Historical Guide - Ross Burns
As Syria becomes more accessible to outsiders, this revised handbook aims to guide visitors through the layers of history, linking various sites to such figures as Alexander and Saladin, and decoding the cultural influences which shaped the many monuments. The book is organized as a gazetteer.
Paperback 320 pages (July 1, 2000); Publisher: I.B. Tauris; Language: English; ISBN: 1860642446
Culture Shock! Syria: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette 
C. South
Paperback 130 pages (March 1, 2002); Publisher: Kuperard; Language: English; ISBN: 185733146X
 Aramusic.com  -  Arab music

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