In the middle of the Syrian Desert is without doubt the most beautiful and magnificent of the Syrian historic sites – Palmyra. It is often described as the bride of the desert. Its magnificent remains tell of a heroic history during the reign of Queen Zenobia. Located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus, Palmyra was an important city of central Syria.

Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. This Arab commercial metropolis is located near a hot-water spring called Afqa, which make it an ideal halt for caravans moving between Iraq and Al-Sham, trading in silk from China to the Mediterranean. This strategic location made Palmyra prosper in a well-established kingdom from the 2nd century BC.

From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. Recently, archaeologists in central Syria have unearthed the remnants of a 1,200-year-old church believed to be the largest ever discovered in Syria, at an excavation site in the ancient town of Palmyra.

Damascus has more than 200 mosques, but only 70 are still in use. The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest, oldest mosques in the world and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist. Located in the old city of Damascus, it is of great architectural importance. The Umayyad (sometimes written Omayyaddi) Mosque is also called the Great Mosque or, in arabic, “Al-Jami Al-Kabir”. It has been built at the beginning of the 13th century. The great Omayyad mosque of Damascus is is a building that inspires awe and wonder. Set within walls parts of which date back to a Roman temple, it sits on ground that has been considered holy for millenia.

The Umayyad Mosque is still one of the most impressive in the Islamic world, with a grand courtyard and spacious prayer hall. Some of the original mosaics still remain: on the north outer face of the transept, under the gable; on the arcades and back of the west portico; and on the arches of the vestibule. Across the flawless white marble courtyard where no shoe treads and under the cool arcades whose mosaics were first laid by Greek artisans from Constantinople in the 8th Century, you will see believers of all three persuasions making their way to the part of the mosque that means most to them.

Construction of the mosque was based on the house of the Prophet in Medina, which had many functions: it was a place for personal and collective prayer, religious education, political meetings, administration of justice and relief of the sick and homeless. The caliph asked and obtained from the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire 200 skilled workers to decorate the mosque, as evidenced by the partly Byzantine style of the building.
The floor of the courtyard is decorated by a checkerboard of black and white marble geometric patterns. It hurts your eyes and feet under the strong sun light. In the evening the Umayyad Mosque is even more scenic and beautiful. Inside, there are wonderful big chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; on the outside courtyard green lights are switched on to point the Mecca direction. The atmosphere is absolutely charming.

Tourists enter through the north gate. Women (and men in shorts) are required to wear a gown that is provided at a small fee. You must also take your shoes off (leave them with the gate keeper) before crossing the threshold of the mosque.

Aleppo is now Syria’s second biggest city. It has had a major role in the development of Syria’s trade especially in the early nineties. It remains a popular city for tourists who like to visit the Citadel and the Middle East’s longest covered souk. It is also famous for its architecture and intricate stonework. The Citadel is located on a partly man-made hill, about 50 metres above the city. This site makes it difficult for archaeologists to dig, but it would be surprising if settling traces there didn’t reach back to the neolithic ages. The present citadel was built in the late 13th century and replaced the older one, which was destroyed by the Mongols.

The formidable symbol of Aleppo – the Citadel – belongs to a later era. Crowning a precipitous hill in the heart of the old city, it is regarded by some travelers as the most spectacular medieval fortress in the Middle East. The hill itself is partly artificial, a prehistoric tell built up of ruins from many cultures each layered atop the last. The citadel is said to have been stormed successfully only once: by the Mongol Timur Leng (Tamerlane). More often, the fortress, with room for a garrison of 10,000, stood firm even as invaders devastated the city below.

One of the most impressive parts of the Citadel is the entrance way built on eight arches over a 70 ft deep moat. At the end of the bridge where you would expect a door, you are met by a blank facade; the immense entryway is to the right, followed by an immediate turn to the left then again to the right in a series of five bends. This innovative architectural device took the wind out of any penetrating army which once over the drawbridge. Particularly interesting in the interior are the Weapons’ Hall, the Byzantine Hall and the Throne Hall, with a restored decorated ceiling. Sayf Addawla built Aleppo’s famous citadel, and in his days the city enjoyed great prosperity and fame in science, literature and medicine, despite this leader’s military ambitions.