Visit Syria, tourism Syria

Syria

Syrians are among the most friendly and hospitable people in the world, and most visitors to their country end up developing a lifelong infatuation with its gentle charms. Since Bashar al-Assad took over the reins from his father in 2001, modernisation has been on the national agenda. This is no Levantine backwater - Syria is a modern, efficient and very proud nation with an administration that is becoming more liberal and outward looking by the day. It needs and deserves travellers to bear witness to this fact.

Fortunately, all this modernisation doesn't mean that Syria has lost sight of its past. The country has more than its fair share of significant historical sites, all of which are respectfully maintained by the authorities. The ancient cities of Damascus, Aleppo and Bosra are all listed on Unesco's World Heritage list, as is the sensationally beautiful ruined city of Palmyra.

Mapa de Siria

Mezquita Omeya de Damasco, Siria

Damascus

Legend has it that on a journey from Mecca, the Prophet Mohammed cast his gaze from the mountainside onto Damascus but refused to enter the city because he wanted to enter paradise only once – when he died. In a place that vies for the title of the world’s oldest continually inhabited city, this is but one of thousands of stories.

With its position as the first stop for travellers from the east, and with the Barada River flowing down freely from the mountains where the Prophet stood, Damascus has always been a coveted capital. The machinations of those wishing to claim the city as their own is as fascinating as the wealth of architecture and culture they left behind, with Damascus collecting the calling cards of myriad civilisations. There is hardly a city in the world that has packed so much history into such a small space as the Old City. Thankfully, the Old City is still the Damascus that sustains the romantic notion of the Orient, filled with bazaars and blind alleys, minarets, mosques and fountain courtyards, street-cart vendors and coffeehouses.

While the Barada may not flow as it once did, today Damascus is finding a new spring of life. Boutique hotels now flourish in delightful old Damascene addresses, restaurants refine what is one of the world’s most complex cuisines, and art galleries are riding an incoming tide of creativity. There is a new modern sophistication in the city, but for those looking for the Damascus of countless stories, it’s still right where it’s always been.

Ruinas de Palmira, Siria

Aleppo

While Damascus was always the ‘holy’ city, the seat of rulers and wary of foreigners, Aleppo (or Halab as it is known), Syria’s second city, has been one of commerce since Roman times. While both cities claim the title of ‘oldest continually inhabited city in the world’, it’s in Aleppo that the legacy of history feels more immediate.

Aleppo today retains that air of an Arabian bazaar city, with people going about business as they have done for centuries. The streets speak a rhythm of sounds – from horse-drawn carts over cobblestones to the more frenetic pace of donkey-riding couriers, still the fastest way through the atmospheric, labyrinthine souq that’s fragrant with olive soap, exotic spices, roasting coffee and succulent grilled shwarma.

While Aleppo may not bustle as it did when it was a key stop on the Silk Road, the relative lack of big investment has actually done the city a favour. The World Heritage–listed Old City was saved from irreparable damage by not succumbing to modernisation. Today it is without doubt a fragile treasure, but a new breed of local investors and entrepreneurs have been wisely spending money to immaculately restore some old city treasures. A plan is in place to restore all of the historic buildings in the Old City – still a thriving centre with more than 100, 000 residents. This new wave of preservation has brought boutique hotels and restaurants and has not only saved some classic buildings, but has also given the visitor a real feel for the city as it once was.

Bosra

The brooding black basalt town of Bosra (or Bosra ash-Sham), with its impressive, imposing citadel and one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in existence, is a must-do experience. The Nabataean capital in the 1st century BC and the capital of the Roman Province of Arabia from AD 106, Bosra has multiple layers of architectural history, making it one of Syria’s most engaging sights. As there is little else to see in town, a day trip from Damascus leaves ample time for most travellers to take in everything at a leisurely pace.

Ciudadela de Alepo, Siria

Palmyra

Palmyra is Syria’s star tourist attraction and one of the world’s most splendid historical sites. Known to the locals as Tadmor (its ancient Semitic name), Palmyra’s intriguing history, along with the profusion of colonnades, temple remains and funerary towers, in a mesmerising desert oasis setting, renders visitors speechless.

The ruins, dating largely to the 2nd century AD, cover some 50 hectares and have been extensively excavated and restored. Nevertheless, archaeologists continually make new finds. In 1994, for instance, Belgian archaeologists stumbled across Roman tombs southeast of the Temple of Bel. The new town has grown around the ruins, especially towards the west, and now has more than 40, 000 inhabitants who survive on agriculture, trade and tourism.

Tartus

Tartus, Syria’s second port, is a small, scruffy town that is unlikely to set pulses racing, but which makes for a pleasant overnight visit. The town’s principal attraction is the compact remnants of the Old City (known to the Crusaders as Tortosa), a fascinating little warren. There’s also the once-fortified island of Arwad, which lies a few kilometres offshore and is reached by boat or water taxi. Syrians love Tartus for its beaches, but visitors brave enough to pick through the junk on the sand and go for a dip should note the occasional dribble of sewage into the sea.

Lattakia

Lively Lattakia is not a typical Syrian town. A busy port since Roman times, it is less inward-looking than the rest of the country. The odd sign in Greek, and many more in Russian, point to the town’s openness to the sea and its traffic with outsiders, while the results of this foreign exchange can be seen in wide, tree-lined boulevards and vibrant cafés (as opposed to the more traditional Arabic coffeehouses).

Lattakia is one of the wealthiest and least conservative cities in the country, due to its many families with expatriate relatives working overseas, and the influx of money that came its way when local boy Hafez al-Assad ruled the roost. As a result Lattakia has some excellent restaurants and almost as many chic bar-cafés as the capital. Its inhabitants have always been snappy dressers – here the headscarf gives way to tight jeans and low-cut tops.

A stretch of coast has also been earmarked for massive redevelopment, with Gulf money being invested to establish luxurious five-star resorts, shopping centres and marina developments.

Its comparative liberalism and wealth aside, Lattakia has no real attractions, however it is a great place to spend a couple of days and makes a comfortable base for visits to the ruins of Ugarit and Qala’at Salah ad-Din.