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It would be a real pity not to stay at least two weeks, enough time to arrange a small well-filled program.
This is just a suggestion to get the best out of your trip, but you may, with the help of this guide, arrange a
program « a la carte » for your visit. Below we give an idea of what you can do in 15 days. You will
arrive in Damascus, where you will stay two days, just enough time to visit
the city and appreciate the beauty of its sites,
monuments and its interesting Bazaars
and handicraft centers. No sooner than you've had the time to have a glimpse at the immense possibilities of the
city, (enough to kindle your curiosity), you have to leave.
But you leave to visit the queen of the desert, Palmyra. You cross a part
of the great Syrian Desert. Try to arrive by sunset to admire the subtle lights
of the setting sun. Stop at the last pass in the road before reaching Palmyra. At the edge of this glow of topazes
and emeralds, which seem to spill from a chest hanging atop a hill. What you see in fact is a
medieval
fortress. Topazes are the sands, an illusion from which emerge the majestic columns of the antique city of
Zenobia, emeralds are another mirage from the palm and olive orchards, but
also a comforting man made oasis: however modest, a miraculous patch of greenery in this desert. Two days, the
third and fourth of your Syrian trip, would not be too much to spend in this privileged place, especially if you
wish to discover the desert surrounding the city and the medieval fortress dominating the area.
You will then go further away in time, looking at the epoch when Akkad and Sumeria
radiated over Mesopotamia, and visit Mari,
capital of a small kingdom of the third century B.C., during the fifth day of your Syrian trip. You will stop at
Doura Europos, which was at one time an outpost citadel on the line of demarcation
between two worlds, where in this already further Orient, Rome was standing guard against invasions by the Parthians.
You will spend the night on the banks of the river Euphrates at Deir
Ezzor, before going upstream to the middle course of the Euphrates which together with the river Tigris, reminds
us of prestigious civilizations. By visiting
Rasafeh (Sergiopolis) another dead Byzantine city of the desert, and
Raqqa (Nicephorium), another city, fully alive, associated with the prestigious
name of Haroun Arrachid, this alter ego of Charlemagne in the legend, you will reach Aleppo
on the sixth day.
The seventh and eighth days are hardly sufficient to take in the most valuable items in this city and its surroundings:
Aleppo vies with Damascus in being the oldest still inhabited city in the world. Inhabitants can show you in their
museum many a document to support this allegation. Then, there are the surroundings
with the famous "Dead Cities" of Northern Syria, where you can see
the famous basilica erected by the Byzantines in honor of St. Simon
of the Pillar. Many walks would be needed if you want to visit at leisure this area of the limestone
range west-wards of Aleppo, as eight days of excursion would be hardly enough to cover all the villages, some abandoned
centuries ago, others still inhabited, and to visit the wonderful buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods
(often well preserved monuments) in this most surprising area of Syria at an altitude varying between 500 and 700
meters.
But everything is still to be organized: guides, roads, cartage, catering, (Camp site arrangement, supplies) etc.
On the way to Hama you will visit the site of the most extraordinary archeological discovery of the post-war era:
Tell Mardikh which concealed the antique city of
Ebla. But do not expect something too spectacular if you visit
the site as the archeological interest of Ebla lies more in the texts of cuneiform writing which are being translated
now.
You will then leave Hama's waterwheels for
Lattakia during this tenth day of your visit, stopping en route at
Shaizar,
Qalaat Bourzaky and Saladin Castle, (Saone of the crusaders), to admire the remains of three medieval fortresses,
and at Qalaat Moudiq, another fortress dominating
Aphamea.
HAMMAMS
The Hammam, or public bath is another place of predilection for the foreigner who wants to grasp a little of the
social life of a city or a quarter. The atmosphere is damp, as it is a bath with steam rooms, and warm, as the
patrons, often grouped between friends, relax there while holding unending discussions.
Do and Do Not
Do not forget that you are in a country with its own special customs. Visits to mosques will require your discretion
and conformity to local habits. You will remove your shoes on entry, some will provide you with slippers for this
purpose. If you are a woman, you will have to be decently clad. Some will also provide you with an abaya. In Greek
Orthodox churches do not try to cross the door of the iconostase, and respect the usual rules in such holy places.
Learn some polite greetings in Arabic, if only to say hello-peace (Salaam) or happiness (Khair) or to wish a good
morning (Sabah el Khair) or a good evening (Massa el Khair) according to the time of day.
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