The Mediterranean Area   Damascus Aleppo Palmyra Crac Chevaliers The Hauran Maalula The Coast . Originally a small Phoenician village, the Assyrians, the Persian and the Seleucids took turns in conquering it. In Roman times Septime Severe had numerous works of enlargement and renovation carried out but earthquakes in 494 and 555 destroyed these improvements. At the beginning of this century Lattakia was only a simple fishermen's village. When Syria lost Antioch, the port was reborn and prosperity returned. There is not much to see in Lattakia but from here one can easily visit Ugarit, where evidence is found that this site has been inhabited from the VIIth millennium onwards. In the XVth century BC, Ugarit was an important intellectual center and it is here that the world's first alphabet was found. Ugarit was destroyed by the arrival of the "People of the Sea" and disappeared towards 1180 BC. Castle of Saladin On the remains of Phoenician, Greek and Roman buildings, the Crusaders erected a fortress in 1108. Saladin took over in 1188 and the Mamelukes occupied it the same year. It is not just the castle that makes a visit worthwhile. Much of it is due to the site, a ridge between two spectacular ravines leading down from the reaches of the Jebel Ansarye and covered with a variety of wallflowers in spring. Standing on the top one can see the Mediterranean sea on clear days. This area is a perfect place to go for a walk and the green environment makes one forget that one is in Syria. More
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