The most beautiful natural sites to discover Damascus

An unforgettable exit, provided that it is done in clear time. Half an hour before dark, take pull and vent, call a taxi and indicate the direction of jebel Qassioun (200 LS one way). After crossing the bare hill and overcoming the futuristic buildings of the presidential palace and the palace of hosts, then the monument to the dead, the car stops on the road in a balcony overlooking Damascus. The difference is such that you feel like flying around the city. Minarets and modern buildings go beyond a compact, compact housing. In the distance, a green belt loop the city and seems to protect it. While the day is brutally seated at night, a hundred muezzins stand in the air to invite the faithful to prayer. The city lights up with a thousand lights, while the cold that wins the mountain reminds us that Damascus is a desert girl.

The vision that is offered to contemplative at the beginning of the st century does not, however, have much to do with the inflamed stories of writers, a century ago.

" The city appears from there, all graceful and white, with its roof roofs and its fine minarets, in the midst of the abundant foliage tablecloth surrounding it like a small sea, or a large lake, with a slightly bluish green. The last rays of sunshine gently empourprent her; It does not seem very large, but deliciously cool and beautiful in its woods and orchards. The mountains and the plains that are crushed by the autumn, which surround the oasis, give the impression of desert; it is a splendid and splendid framework, especially at this hour of the day when a pink mist voile the summits of anti-Lebanon and Hermon. (Vega, Travel to Syria and Galilee, 1912.)

Dozens of small cafés hanging on the hill offer drinks, chicha and sometimes some dishes. Beware, prices are very high for lower quality. Moreover, scams are frequent, a tea can quickly return to 200 LS, here the pack of handkerchief on the table is paid! A board, therefore, admire the view away from these stalls and return to quench your thirst in the streets of the old town.

Set in the attic, you will discover a majestic set of dormant rocks where a set of Roman necropolises was cut into rock. Climb on the left where some kinds of pipes were drawn in stone. Then take the different stairs to take a look at the funeral rooms also dug in the rock. Finally, in the same region, sometimes along the road, it is possible to see individual sarcophagi.

Ain el-Fijé (25 km from Damascus) has a vauclusienne source of 8 m ³ per second on average. What to provide much of the water consumed in Damascus. The ruins of a Roman temple indicate the seniority of the cult dedicated to this source which determines the very existence of the capital.

Haut (51 km, 30 000 inhabitants) is the main town. Expanding between two rows of arid mountains, this beautiful plateau is covered with fruit trees and gardens at the foot of modern pavilions. The official source of the Barada is near a small artificial lake, which is reached by road on the left, 5 km before arriving at, centre. The boats are waiting for visitors for a small tour, a very popular leisure on Fridays.

A few kilometers away, we arrive, through a winding road, in the big village (57 km, 3 000 inhabitants) in the recent buildings perched at 1 500 m altitude. The rich Damascènes come to look for freshness and calm in the summer. In winter, mountains are dressed in white. It's then the chance to see the kids making snow battles or even seeing cars go down in Damascus by proudly wearing a bonhomme on their hood.

Not far from there (at the exit of Bloudan, asking for the path), the source of Boukein provides the country with mineral water. Boukein bottles sell to Homs, then the Dreikishe takes over.