Syria Off The Beaten Path

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

101.

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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102.

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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103.

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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Afamia and Qala'at Mudeeq

by maykal

Afamia (Apamea in 'foreign talk') is Palmyra's poor sister. It is equally (if not more) impressive, but as there is no direct bus and there is a bit of a walk involved to get there from the road, it isn't that popular. When I went, it was just us and some sheep. The ruins are extensive and surrounded by green fields. On a hilltop is Qala'at Mudeeq, a castle, now containing an entire village within it's walls. Minibuses run from Hama to Skayalabiyya, and from there to Afamia - the whole journey costs around 25 Syrian pounds (20 British pence) and takes about an hour and a half. Afamia is one of my favourite locations in Syria, so I have given it a whole travelogue to itself: Afamia Travelogue.

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Ras al-Basseet

by maykal

Ras al-Basseet has the nicest beaches in Syria, although there aren't really any other nice beaches in Syria. It has black sand and clear(ish) water, with the mountains of Turkey as a backdrop. There are several restaurants along the beach and a hotel and some chalets. It gets quite crowded on Fridays and public holidays, when there are several school trips here. According to one Syrian man I spoke to on the beach, there are some ruins on a nearby headland, but I didn't find any. There are buses here from Latakia in the mornings, but I waited ages to get back to Latakia - there aren't many buses in the afternoon. See my Al-Baseet page or my Tartus traveloges for more details

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Kassab

by maykal

Kassab is a small mountain village next to the Turkish border in the north-west of Syria. It is a mainly Armenian Christian village, and although there isn't much to see in the way of sights, it is a very pleasant place to stay for a few days and the people here are also friendly. There are minibuses from Latakia, but it's not really a popular destination outside the summer season, and this is reflected in the frequency of buses. Just before the final ascent to kassab, there is a border crossing to Turkey, but it is very remote, and I have no idea what the transport situation is like on the Turkish side.Find out more on my Kassab page

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Ar-Raqqa

by maykal

Ar-Raqqa is a modern town with an ancient history, although not much of the old city remains, apart from the impressive city walls. They are made of local mud-brick and are red/yellow, and stretch almost round the entire city. Parts of it are falling apart though.Near to Ar-Raqqa is the town of Ath-Thawra, built to accommodate those who lost their homes when the Euphrates was dammed to make a reservoir, the Al-Assad lake. The town is very ugly, though it does have a nice park with excellent views of the lake and the dam. See more of both Ar-Raqqa and Ath-Thawra, as well as the rest of the Euphrates River in the travelogue on my Dayr ez-Zawr page

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Hosn Suleiman

by maykal

Hosn Suleiman is an easy day-trip from Safita. There are the remains of a Roman Temple and some Roman houses, now overrun with goats, children and poppies. The best thing about Hosn Suleiman is that you can almost guarantee a tourist-free visit. The ruins are free to wander round, and the surroundings are pleasant, so despite the fact that there isn't much to see, Hosn Suleiman is well worth spending some time in. Minibuses run there from Safita and take an hour. To get back, you can either wait for hours for a return bus, or ask around for the path to Safita, which should take a few hours to walk.More on my Safita page.

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Safita

by maykal

Safita is the nicest of the Syrian mountain resorts as there is actually something to see. The White Tower stands on the top of the hill, and from a distance the whole village looks as if it could be in Italy. You can also go hiking round Safita, maybe to Hosn Suleiman (18kms) mentioned below.More pictures on my Safita page.

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Al-Quneitra and the Golan Heights

by maykal

It is possible to visit the ruined town of Quneitra in the UN Buffer Zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. To do this you need a permit from the Ministry of the Interior, which takes about 10 minutes while you wait outside in direct sunlight. Take a bus to Khan Arbaneh where you pick up your guide, then travel on through the UN checkpoints to Quneitra. It is a very sobering sight, and even more so when you realise that one or two families have decided to return. The guide will take you anywhere you ask to see, as long as it is allowed. The main places are the gutted hospital, the ruined mosque(you can climb the minaret for a view over the whole town), and the restaurant practically on the border. It is very peaceful for a 'war zone', probably the quietest place in the whole of Syria. Although it is a very serious situation, both sides seem to tease each other - the...

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Qala'at Samaan - The Pillar

by MalenaN

As very young St Simeon Stylites joined a monastery. It was not ascetic enough so he withdrew to a cave and he passed his days with prayer and meditation. As pilgrims started to come and he got a lot of unwanted attention he built a pillar that in the beginning was three metres high, with a platform on top. He lived 40 years on top of a pillar, but in the end it was almost 20 metres high.What did he do when he needed to go to the bathroom?Not much remains of the pillar as people during the centuries have taken pieces away.

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Qala'at Samaan (St Simeon)

by MalenaN

On a hilltop, about 40 km northwest of Aleppo, are the ruins of Church of St Simeon. Here the ascetic Simeon Stylites sat on a pillar for 40 years. He became known all over the Byzantine world and pilgrims came to see him.After Simeon’s death a large church was built in the shape of a cross with the pillar in the middle of an octagonal courtyard.When the church was completed in 490 it was the biggest church in the world. Then it became the second largest after Hagia Sofia in Constantinople. The Arabic name is Qala’at Samaan (fortress of St Simeon). As the Muslim Arabs came to the region the church and monastery was fortified. If you plan to visit Aleppo St Simeon makes a good daytrip. I went together with Firas, Fouad (who was the driver), Dania (Fouad's wife) and Morgan and Katjalin from France. It is also possible to visit by microbus and walking.

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Buildings in Hims

by dr.firas

There are different catigories and reall not one style of the buildings, such as this one here showen in the picture, and there are other with grey, white, yellow and brown colors, which makes Hims a rainbow city LOL

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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. Hamah Off The Beaten Path
  7. `Afrin 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. Kassab Off The Beaten Path
  14. Qal`at as Sim`an 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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Popular Regions in Syria

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 as Suwayda' Off The Beaten Path  Muhafazat Rif Dimashq 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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