You will fly to Damascus, the capital city of Syria. Damascus, known as the “City in the Heaven”, is a beautiful ancient city with a history of 4000 years. Due to the long history, there are numerous legends and historical sites in Damascus.
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You will spend the whole day in Damascus. The day will begin with the visit of National Museum of Damascus in the morning. The museum, built in 1919 and consisted of six exhibition halls, is the best place for visitors to learn about the history and culture of Syria. In the afternoon, you will visit the Umayyad Mosque, which is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. It is considered as the fourth-holiest place of Islam. The decorations of the mosque are very vivid as if in the stories of The Arabian Nights. The last arrangement of the day is to enjoy the beautiful sunset in Mount Kassioun.
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Day 3: Damascus - Latakia
The morning tour will begin with the visit of Maaloula, a picturesque village. Meanwhile, you will find the Church of St. Sergius hiding in the valley area. It is said that the church was a shelter for Virgin Mary and her son Jesus Christ when the family escaped to Egypt. After that, you will head for Krak Des Chevaliers, one of the most important medieval castles in Syria or even in the world. It is acclaimed as the greatest and the most beautiful castle in the world, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Then, you will move forward by bus and you are going to see many historical relics left by Phoenician on the way. You will finally arrive in Amrit via Tartus to visit a special water temple built by Phoenicians. After the visit here, you will continue the tour to get to Latakia.
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In the morning, you will visit Ugarit, a coastal city of ancient Phoenicia and the birthplace of the first alphabet in the world. The next stop today will be the famous Saladin Castle, which was given the same name as Saladin Castle of Egypt. Compared with Krak Des Chevaliers, this castle has a longer history and larger scale. After the visit, you will drive northward and arrive at St. Simeon Monastery after passing through the rugged hill areas. This Monastery is regarded as the most beautiful religious building of the Orient. The last stop of the day will be Aleppo.
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Aleppo, the second largest city of the country, is an important city in the north of Syria. The city abounds with the places of historical interest and Islamic mosques. It is perhaps an Arabic city with the most beautiful scenery and the best-preserved historical sites. Along the two sides of those maze-like roads locates many mosques, ancient Christian churches and outdoor theaters. You will spend the whole day in this charming city with medieval flavors.
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Along Euphrates River, you will take the bus heading eastward for Mari. Mari was a great Mesopotamian city around the 3rd century BC. It is noted for the amazing mural paintings, because of which Mari is also called “the Pompeii of the Orient”. You will stop to appreciate those wonderful paintings first. Then you will travel along the Silk Road to Palmyra where you can stroll in a large number of old houses and grand temples.
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The whole day will be spent in Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centers of ancient Syria and an oasis in the desert of the country. You will pay a visit to those grand relics in the reign of Queen Zenobia, turrets, ramparts, tombs and temples like Temple of Baal in the city. You will return to Damascus by bus in the evening.
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Today’s tour will take you to visit Bosra and Suweida. Bosra was the capital city of Rome Province of Arab Empire and the most charming city of Syria. Suweida was another important city of Syria in its history. Both of the cities have a great number of relics. Here you can visit many of them, such as theaters and churches. After the visit you will go back to Damascus.
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Day 9: Departure from Syria
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Syria Tours
