Syria Off The Beaten Path

 
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Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Syria

26.

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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27.

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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28.

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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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Ugarit-ancient city

by Tuna_ank

2400BC-From15-13.cc-Royal palace, city wallsOne of the first alphabet was written here which helped to pass to phonetic writing.There also wrote music notes. Entrance time: From: 9.00 t0 18.00 at summer, from: 9.00 to 4.00 at winter time.

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Ebla=Tell mardikh ancient city

by Tuna_ank

It is from 3000BC. Same time with Turkey's Catalhoyuk. They were not burning to soil, that's why there is not much things to see. But there are 6-7 layers since bronze period. Hitittes restructed too much at Hitites period. Ingredients are in Aleppo and Damascus museums. There was a Isthar (god of love) temple here. Ebla alphabet has 30 letters. Like Sumer language. It can has roots from Aramaic language. (2000BC)It is founded at 1960.

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Bagdad Cafe in Syria

by crazyman2

From Damascus to Aleppo, via Palmyra, you'll need to cross the desert. The Syrian desert isn't like the Sahara or Gobi! There are a lot of nomads and tented communities. The roads aren't crowded but there is a fair bit of traffic. Anyway, half way to Palmyra there's a place called the Bagdad Cafe. Try a coffee and a snack here. The people are friendly, the trinkets vary in quality, the ambience is good.There are two women standing behind the cafe. They always seem to be there near to the family bee-hive houses. Go up to one of them... they don't mind having their photos taken ---but you might be shocked!

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Little visited museum in Damascus

by allouc

The Arab Epigraphy Museum is right next to Salah Al Din's Masoleum near the Ommayyad Mosque in Damascus. It is a very small and intimate museum. Exhibits are limited but the attraction is the building and not so much what's in it. Words are hard to describe it but I hope the pic is illuminating. Entry fee for foreigners is 75 Syrian Pounds or a little over 1 Euro. Closed on Tuesdays (but not always).

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Dead Cities Outside Aleppo

by atufft

In the region between Aleppo and Antioch, Turkey, the early Christian church flourished well before their was a Pope in Rome. Today, the ruins of the Byzantine period is mixed in with some of the earliest ruins in the world. Check out my pages on the Dead Cities, under the Off-The-Beaten-Path for Aleppo for a zillion pictures and descriptions. Getting transport into this region is a bit of a challenge, but see my transportation tips for this under Aleppo...

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Hosn Suleiman -the lost temple of Zeus Baotocecian

by TheWanderingCamel

Well, the temple may not be lost but you could be trying to find it! It is really easy to take a wrong turn as you travel the winding roads that lead to this most remote site high in the Jebel Ansariye. The effort is worth it though. It is an extraordinary place. Massive hardly does justice to the size of some of the stone blocks used in the temple's construction. The ruin you see now is the remains of a Roman-era temple dedicated to a strange amalgamation of gods, a local version of Canaanite Baal and Greek Zeus combined and introduced into the Roman Pantheon -the Romans took a most pragmatic approach in accommodating local beliefs, but this was a cult site long before the Romans came. Nowadays, the combination of the site's very beautiful location, its extreme isolation and the grandeur of the ruins themselves makes a visit here a unique experience. Just make sure you have a good map!

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Qasr ibn Wardan - Outpost of Empire

by TheWanderingCamel

What was in the emperor's mind when he comissioned these building here, right on the edge of the empire? A tall church and a Governor's palace, built in high Constantinople style with narrow Roman bricks and broad black stone bands - both materials that would have had to be imported from a considerable distance. There's little else left to tell us now what this place was - a scrap of the barracks is the only other thing remaining - but is seems clear that the intent was to demonstrate the power and might of the Empire.The ruins of the basilica and the palace are substantial. The palace, with its large central courtyard and rooms that obviously served an official function, is interesting and it is quite easy to work out the uses the building was put to.The church is unusual in its height to floor space ratio - it is very high and must have been most imposing when its dome was in place....

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The Dead Cities...

by coceng

The Dead Cities is a collective area in the north of Syria. Many people visit The Dead Citiers from Aleppo which is a good base to see these 'dead' cities.they are called as 'dead cities' because nobody knows why the inhabitants left these places which in their days could be a prosperous city !2 of the most-visited Dead Cities are Serjilla & Al-Bara...MY SERJILLA PAGE&MY AL-BARA PAGE

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Der'a...

by coceng

Der'a is the southern-most town in Syria.Well, not many people will pass through Der'a; Only if you want to cross over to Jordan from Syria as a lone tourist, then you would pass through Der'a.In addition to that, if you are visiting Bosra & don't want to back track to Damascus, then Der'a would be a handy place to move to Jordan on your own or a taxi.Der'a is a busy border town !

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Deir Marmusa II

by 1W1V

From archeological and historical evidence, we know that Deir Marmusa existed from the middle of the 6th century and belonged to the Syrian Antiochian Rite. The present monastic church was built in the islamic year 450 (1058 AD) according to arabic inscriptions on the walls.The frescoes of the church date from 11th and 12th century.In the 15th century, the monastery was partially rebuilt and enlarged. It was abandoned in the first half of the 19th century and slowly fell into ruin.In 1984, restoration work began through a common initiative of the Syrian State, the local church and a group of Arab and European volonteers. The restoration of the monastery building was completed in 1994.The italian cooperation was deeply involved in the project including the restoration of the frescoes.

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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

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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