SYRIA TOP TEN SITES
Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
The great architectural jewel of Damascus is the stunning 8th century Umayyad Mosque with its exquisite interiors and glittering gold and coloured mosaic. The mosque is considered to be one of the most sacred places in the Islamic world and is a highlight of any visit to Syria.
Roman ruins, Palmyra
The desert oasis of Palmyra was the premier caravan city in the Middle East in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The resulting revenues enabled the citizens of Palmyra to construct the grandest of civic buildings. Using a local sandy honey coloured stone the resulting Roman-style columns, temple facades, theatres, and tombs, are particularly beautiful.
Crac des Chevaliers
Described by T.E. Lawrence as: “the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world”, this stunning example of Crusader military architecture was built to secure the Homs Gap – the easiest access between the Mediterranean and the Syrian interior. Crac des Chevaliers was never captured by force and is hugely impressive.
Souqs, Aleppo
Visiting the medieval covered souqs (markets) of Aleppo is a real immersion in the Middle Eastern experience. Said to be over 15 km in length everything from luxury goods to aromatic spaces and household goods is on sale here amidst an intoxicating atmosphere that can hardly have changed for centuries.
St Simeon’s Monastery, Northern Syria
St Simeon’s Monastery is a Byzantine masterpiece built to support the cult of Simeon – an aesthete monk who is remembered for having lived on top of a column for 42 years. According to an expert: ‘The great cruciform church is … the most beautiful and important monument of architecture between the buildings of the Roman period of the second century and the great church of Santa Sophia of Justinian’s time.’
Roman ruins, Apamea
One of the most attractively located Roman ruins in Syria. Apamea’s main feature is a magnificent colonnaded street, over 1.5 kilometres in length, and lined with columns along almost its entire route. Here you can walk along the wheel-rutted Cardo Maximus though what was once the bustling heart of one of the most important Roman cities in Syria.
Dead Cities, Northern Syria
Regarded as one of the finest survivals from the World Of Late Antiquity the Dead Cities of northern Syria are a group of approximately 600 abandoned Byzantine churches, villages and monuments. Some of these are extraordinarily well preserved, and many have charming rural locations. Al Bara, Serjilla, Ruweiha and Mushabbak number amongst our favourites.
Street Called Straight, Damascus
Retrace the footsteps of St Paul following his conversion on the Road to Damascus when walking along the Street Called Straight to the House of Ananias. The Street Called Straight dates back to the Roman period and is one of the most characterful in Damascus; it is also a great place to shop for Syrian handicrafts.
Saladin’s castle
One of the best examples of early Crusader architecture - T.E Lawrence called it: “the most sensational thing in castle building that I have ever seen”. Saladin’s castle, once known as Saone, was built to defend the route between Latakia and Aleppo and has a spectacular ridge top location and magnificent fortified entrance.
Resafa
Resafa is spectacular in is isolation. Located in the Syrian desert, inland from the River Euphrates, this fine frontier fortress was founded by the emperor Diocletian in the late third century and later became an important place of pilgrimage in the Byzantine period.
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2 comments:
Awesome information... Lots of great stuff here ! :-)
thank you
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