Syria Off The Beaten Path

 
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  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by Robin020
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by Robin020
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Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Syria

1.

Jebel Qassioun   Damascus

Jebel Qassioun, Damascus

 6 Reviews  They shine at night, they seems to be so far from us, standing up on this mountain...Drinking a hot tea, my eyes lost in yours, no words are needed cause our hearts are talking already...Oh God, i... 

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2.

day trips   Aleppo

day trips, Aleppo

 40 Reviews  The Church of St. Simeon (or Qala Siman as it is known to the Syrians) is about 1 hour out of Aleppo. It is the site of where St. Simeon chose to lead the religious life alone as a hermit monk. But... 

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3.

covered souq   Aleppo

covered souq, Aleppo

 20 Reviews  You will have a signal pointing to this hammam inside the Nahhasin Souq, on the right handside when you are exiting the Citadel. Although hammam is in the middle of the souq, it is not that difficult... 

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Homs

by Doctor38

Homs is the third largest city in Syria and it is the JOKE of Syrian people. It is located in the middle of country with connection to all other Syrian cities . It is located directly in front of to what is know as the Homs Gab. The Homs gab is an opening between the Al Ansaria mountains to the North and The Lebanon Range top the south. This result in a very important route to the sea and a very pleasant summer weather due the the tunneling effect and the blowing wind.Homs is a very ancient city and was founded at the dawn of History. You can visit the Homs Castle in the middle of town which is located in a hill. You can also visit Khalid Ben Al Waleed Mosque which is a new construction built over an older mosque. The mosque contains the tombs of Khalid and his Abdulrahman. It also contain the tomb of Obaidallah Bin Omar Bin Al Khatab. All three were companions of the profit Muhammed....

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The Dead Cities, Sirjila

by Doctor38

Sirjila is another dead city that can be visited from Aleppo or Hama either by a hotel Organized tour or by a privately owned car. Sarjila has an on going excavation and restoration project. It has the added benefit of You talking to the Archaeologist on site, who were happy to show us around and explain the various ongoing projects. This site is more exposed to the elements and you'll have less protection than Al Bara. In Serjila you'll also see the usual things, baths and churches. You also see the remain of the Bedouins who until recently called this site home

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'The Dead Cities, Al Bara

by Doctor38

The Dead cities are a collection of little villages and towns the are located between Aleppo and Hama along the modern highway. These cities date back to the 3rd century AD. Some were mysteriously abandoned. It is estimated that there are 500 of these sites. many of them are incorporated into existing villages and homes. Some of these sites and some are large and vacant.Al Bara was founded in the 4th century AD and prospered as a center for wine and olive. Although the city was predominantly Christian, it did not survive the curse of the first crusade and was utterly destroyed. You can see the remains of churches in ruins. Buildings are very interesting and unique in shape with its pyramid like roof tops. These ruins are located mid of olive fields and it is very pleasant to walk around

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Musyaf

by Doctor38

It is an interesting town, visited mostly to view its castle. I met few Germans living in this little town with German families to learn Arabic. There was always so sort of fortification at this site since the dawn of history. the current castle was built around the 10 century. The view is excellent from the castle. You can get o Musyaf from Hama, homs, Mushta El Helow and Damascus.The castle was a strong base for the Hashasheen. who during the 3rd crusade aliened them selfs with Richard the lion heart, the king of England and faught against Saladin. By the way the word Assassin in the english language is drived from Hashasheen.

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Al Hamra (Beehive Homes)

by Doctor38

These Desert houses are Ideal for the environment. It constructed from hay and clay. It is very worm in winter and cool in summer. I was told that it take 10 people one day to built one house. The one we visited and shown in these pictures is about 80 years old. very few of these house are being built these days. You can see miniature champers used as storage or animlesYou can visit the houses as part of a tour from a Aleppo or Hama. We had a nice welcome from the family, spent half an hour and a cup of tea. This house we visited was located in Al Hamra 20 km away from Qasr Ibn Wardan

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Qasr Ibn Wardan

by Doctor38

This was built as an eastern frontier post by Emperor Justinian in the mid 6 th century. It functioned as a fort and a church. It was used as a staging post to control the local Bedouin tribes in the region. Today it is located 60 Km to the north east of Hama. To get to it you have to take one of the tours organized by the hotels of Hama. There is 150 Syrian pounds as entry feeThe building blocks are made of Black basalt and yellow bricks.

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Qalat Sheizer

by Doctor38

Qalat Sheizer was built by the Fatimid califs of Egypt. It was a major a thorn against the Crusader and a big allay to Saladin. Usamah ibn Munqidh, the commander of the castle who served Saladin as a Diplomat during the 12th century wrote his Autobiography "Kitab al-I'tibar" which describes the life of the period. He also talks in details about the crusader. It is very interesting read which was translated into English.To get to the castle take Hama to Saquyyalbia Micro Bus from Hama or you can get on to one of the Tours from Hama

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Qalat Shmaimees and Al Salamiyya

by Doctor38

This site was first fortified during the first century BC. The castle suffered from an earth quake and than was flattened by the Persian Army in 613 AD. The Current structure dates to the 11th century during the Ayubbied period. The castle was destroyed again during the Mogul invasion in 1260 AD and left the site as seen today.The site is very imposing on top of a hill. It controls the entire plains around it. The entrance is through the 2 big holes in the walls. You can also see the a cave below the castle (a vertical black opening) You need to climb through them after the up hill climb. Within the castle there are 2 pits. To get to the castle you can either take the Al Salamiyya Micro bus from Hama or take an organized tour from Hama. The site is only 32 Km away from Hama.Al Salamiyya is a 3 km away from the fort, It has the tomb of Mohammed Ben Ismael the founder of the Ismalite sect...

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Hosn Suleiman

by Doctor38

The current structure is a Roman Temple which was built on an earlier Phonetician temple. The building is 180 maters by 90m. Some of the stone blocks are very huge and estimated to weight 90 tones with a dimension of 10 meter by 4 (see the 3rd picture).The temple has 4 gates which has intact decoration and columns and inscribtion. The gates has some beautiful eagles and lions. At the centre of the temple there is a distroyed or a collapsed cella.There is a regular Micro Bus from Safita which depart off Shari Mysaloon, near the town center. the journey take 40 minutes and the road leading to it is very scenic.You can reach to Safita form Tartus and Mashta Elhelw

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Mashta Al Helow

by Doctor38

This is a very beautiful town especially in the summer. There are plenty of Restaurants and hotels. The night life during summer time is great. The atmosphere and vibe of the place is incredible. Mashta Al helow is a collection of little villages with the main village is called Alkafroon. It can be a base to visit Hosn sulieman.The name is very deceving, Although it is suppose to be a Mashta (Mashta is a place where people preffer to spend winter), it becomes empty and very cold in winter. So why was called Mashta?? It turns out that Al Helow Family used to spend the winter in town as they lived originally in a higher elevation.You can reach Meshta Al Helow by Micro bus either from Tartus or Hems.

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Unique Places in Syria

Top 3 Hotels in Syria

Beit Al Mamlouka  Damascus

 4 Reviews and 83 Opinions  Rooms & Suites Rooms offer exceptional grace and comfort and all give views over either the hotel’s... 

 Hotels in Damascus

Jdayde Hotel  Aleppo

 50 Opinions

 Hotels in Aleppo

Cairo Hotel  Hamah

 4 Reviews and 46 Opinions  Hama's Cairo Hotel is one of the great travellers' hotels of the Middle East. It is nothing much to... 

 Hotels in Hamah

101 Hotels in Syria
 
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Reviews and photos of Syria attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Syria sightseeing.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Syria
  1. Damascus Off The Beaten Path
  2. Aleppo Off The Beaten Path
  3. Latakia Off The Beaten Path
  4. Palmyra Off The Beaten Path
  5. Busra ash Sham Off The Beaten Path
  6. `Afrin Off The Beaten Path
  7. Hamah Off The Beaten Path
  8. As Suwayda' Off The Beaten Path
  9. Dayr az Zawr Off The Beaten Path
  10. Hims Off The Beaten Path
  11. Apamea Off The Beaten Path
  12. Qanawat Off The Beaten Path
  13. Qal`at as Sim`an Off The Beaten Path
  14. Kassab Off The Beaten Path
  15. Khirbat Serjilla Off The Beaten Path
  16. Al Yahudiyah Off The Beaten Path
  17. Jazirat Arwad Off The Beaten Path

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Muhafazat Dimashq Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Halab Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Hims Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat al Ladhiqiyah Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat al Qunaytirah Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Hamah Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Dar`a Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Rif Dimashq Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat as Suwayda' Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Tartus Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat al Hasakah Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Dayr az Zawr Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

Chatistatistor profile photo

Q:  Was planning for an overland trip with our own cars from Cairo to Istanbul passing by jordan and syria via the old classical... 

stevemt profile photo

A: Syria is not somewhere I would be going near right now, really not safe at all. Most governments have strongly advised all their citizens to get out of Syria as soon as... 

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