Things to see and do Syria

The large, almost square courtyard of the khan serves long galleries that house a collection of mosaics, stelas and sarcophagi of Apamea and its region. Built by the Ottomans, this caravanserai served as accommodation for pilgrims on the road to Mecca. Among the hosting steps that remain in Syria, it is certainly the most impressive. The chimneys of the galleries are there to remind you of the severity of winter. The courtyard also houses a large arlon collection.

Past the door door, a visit will be carried out clockwise. By entering left in the first gallery, you will discover two beautiful mosaics among the beautiful collection of the museum.

Socrates and the sages (basement of the eastern Cathedral, circa 362 m. ). Socrates, in the centre, dominates an assembly of six other important but unidentified characters. This mosaic reveals the presence in Apamea of a traditional school of néoplatonicienne philosophy.

The judgment of the Néréïdes (basement of the Cathedral of the East, approx. ). The scene depicts a beauty contest between Néréïdes and Thétis on the one hand, Cassiopeia on the other. Cassiopeia, naked, on the far right, wins the competition. She receives the crown from a victory. Each character is légendé in Greek.

The mosaics come from the site of Huarte, 15 km north of Apamea. See in this part, the long panel which consists of two distinct scenes. Three compositions depicting two lions and a lion fighting their prey, and a man leading two mules with a stretcher.

The hotel was very clean and the room was clean. Offers maps of the region and city.

We come to Safita for its dungeon, located at the entrance of the city, in height. If you come to a minibus, ask the driver to leave you nearest (nothing serves to go down to the terminus of the garaj ', 15 min walk lower). Here it is called «Al-Bourg». Apart from the hours of worship, you need to be opened (key to the restaurant next door).

Already visible from Tartous, Safita is the nearest cross-fortress of the krak. The first fortress was largely destroyed by Noureddin. The Templar, who were responsible for the security of the Tartous region, were planning to rebuild it. The current dungeon probably dates from this reconstruction, or even a little later, when work was undertaken after the earthquake in 1202.

On the way to the krak, the sultan mameluke Baïbars took off the fortress in 1271. Since Tartous, the master of the Templar ordered his evacuation.

The fortress consisted of a double enclosure, the second of which covered the dungeon. Here and there, fortification remains are built into cobbled streets, for free diving in the Middle Ages. The massive appearance of this rectangular tower (27 m high, 17 m wide) is reinforced by the absence of exterior decoration. As a defence book, its ground floor was devoted, as is today, to worship. The castle chapel has a single nave. The apse is supplemented with two small sacristies.

To access the top of the dungeon, enter the chapel and take the stairs right on the right. After a series of high marches, passage through the beautiful vaulted weapons room that housed the garrison in the event of a retreat. Two naves are separated by three cross pillars that receive the benefits of curved edges. The room is lit by four bays.

Continue climbing to arrive on the terrace from where the view in clear time is particularly extensive. Beautiful vision of the city's tile roofs and the surrounding fruit cultures. The Knights'Krak is only 15 km away from the bird. The Knights were contacted by lighting fires. The system of travellers'pigeons, the invention of the Arabs, was then unknown to franj troops.

From the dungeon you can get down to the city centre by a very picturesque shopping street. The garaj is located completely at the bottom of the city.

To complete the visit of Safita. The ruined enclosures of Arima (Qal Areimeh), 15 km southwest of Safita, testify to the quality work of Franks in the region. It is said that Noureddin, having captured the fortress master, Bertrand de Toulouse, married his sister and had a son. Albatross Rouge (Qal Yahmour), another fortress located 20 km west of Safita and only the 15 m dungeon remains intact, complemented the cross device. Thanks to their proximity, the three sites communicated by signals.

These two buildings are difficult to find, so it is better to avoid wasting too much time asking for the path very often.

The massive wall wall consists of 14 round or square towers, one of which, the tower of the Eperon at the southern end of the castle, exhibits a monumental inscription of white marble. From this turn, the bulk of the forces led by the successor of Baïbars in 1265.

You enter the castle through the tower tower, located in the west. This well-preserved construction has a beautiful vaulted entrance which leads to the right, in the central courtyard (or superior court).

The collective life of the soldiers'soldiers of the order of the Hospital was organized around that court. You will find the chapel, the dungeon and several beautiful rooms. The chapel, a small gem of cross architecture, was built in Gothic style in 1186.

Before entering, the look looks at the portal in limestone, with rich mouldings and elegant skid. The portal to the west is almost identical. On both sides of the choir there are two small sacristies; in that directed to the north still traces some traces of mural paintings (six saints). The mihrab was also excavated in the south wall of the chapel from the Muslim occupation. From the main portal, the eyes embrace the nearby sea. The tower, a massive 21 m tall construction, houses a large room. A ruined staircase allows access to its summit where the view is stunning. Attached to the dungeon and served by the same staircase, a large building houses several rooms, which will be visited more easily using a torch lamp. In the west of this whole, there are two buildings with two floors of vaulted rooms. On the left of the chapel there are home-made premises, one of which still contains two bread kilns (the castle could have up to five years of food). You can walk along the wall wall whose towers offer beautiful prospects on the coast or hinterland.

Other point of interest, meghazel, which are monumental funeral towers. They will return to the fourth century B.C. Imposing dimensions, the two towers still proudly erected facing the sea were part of a whole forming a necropolis. They both have a recorded that is reached under the tower by a stair of stairs (a torch torch is indispensable). In Persian style, the highest of the cylindrical towers adorned with lions'landforms. Further south (1 km to the right on the Homs Road) is another funeral monument of the same type: the Bourj el-Bezzak.

Al-Maabad ("the temple" in Arabic) is dedicated to the Phoenician god Melqart associated with the Egyptian Echmoun and the Hercules of Greeks. A sanctuary is high in the centre of a basin. The square pillars are égyptisants, while merlons (parts full of a deux parapet between two niches) of baja (inner and central part of a temple) are mesopotamian influences. The telling of the primitive city is located right next to the temple. On the other side of the Wadi, the traces of a stadium are distinguished. The stands are clearly visible, and the track is tufts of herbs and pebbles. Back to the temple, return to the paved road, through the dessinés paths. We see the towers through barbed wire.

Another visit can come to complement that of krak. The convent dedicated to Saint George was very frequented during the feast of the Holy day on 6 June, and on 14 September, on the occasion of the Feast of the Cross. Devoted to the Greek Orthodox cult, this massive building of 52 rooms was held in the time of Emperor Justinian, in the life of the century in B.C., and is inhabited today by a small dozen monks. One of them will take you to the chapels. Donation possible. Two superimposed chapels deserve a visit. The oldest, on the ground floor, dates back to the th century and presents a beautiful ebony wooden iconostasis depicting the life of the saint. Beautiful Damascus tiles are hidden under red curtains. The second chapel, built in 1857, just above the first, also includes beautiful icons accompanied by a collection of objects of worship.

Access. The convent is located 11 km from the Krak des Chevaliers, near the village of Mamarita. On the road, ask Al-Houmayra or Deir Mar Georgis, Arab appellations of the convent. You can also charter a taxi from the krak or your hotel, about 200 LS the return (one quarter of an hour).

To have a complete view on the fortress and its beautiful situation on the outskirts of the village, stop on the road from Hama. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a Swiss organization founded in 1988, finances the restoration of the castle. First, the ramparts have to be crossed. The entrance hall is certainly, with the walls, the best preserved part of the castle. Another interesting piece: the central dungeon. As the crusaders did not have time to wear their claw, it remains a valuable example of Arab military art probably dating from the ayyoubide period.

The round of round on the ramparts of the castle reveals the dense composition of the city and the harmony of the seafront of the town of Tartous. Some elements of the castle would come from the fortress of the th century.

To complete this historic vision, observe the fort at the beautiful angle towers (visible from the boat).

Guide and driver perfectly bilingual and great amateur French culture (talk to the castles of the Loire!). Nabil is not only extremely competent and erudite, but also has a very rich personality. Travelling with him, which favours small groups, is always the occasion for a nice meeting. Very familiar with the French mentality, it will understand and adapt to your desires to design a tailor-made visit throughout the country for a afternoon or several weeks. Satisfaction guaranteed!

From the visit of Damascus to the entire country, Ghassan offers its Services as a guide or driver guide. Licensed in French and married with a French, so say you could almost take it for a French. Very learned, having a sufficiently extensive knowledge of Islam as well as Christianity, he is also multilingual (Italian and English).

Site of the Department of Foreign Affairs dedicated to travellers: destinations to avoid, administrative formalities, authorized vaccination centres… On the home page, click on the advice tab for travellers and consult the page dedicated to Syria.

Practical information about country, culture, economy, lifestyle, entertainment… Possibility to book hotels online.

Site of the Ministry of Tourism, a good source of information. Very comprehensive.

The staff only have plans for the city and the region.

Women in tattooed face and coloured clothes, men bearing the galabiyé, large dress wide, and head covered with a scarf with red and white tiles go to the old souk in Deir ez-Zor from the early morning. Coming from the surrounding villages or nomadic camps, they invest the streets of the city to sell their harvest or buy tools, fabrics, ropes…

Renovated in 2010, the old market kept a traditional appearance with a beautiful vaulted roof and narrow aisles illuminated by the wells of light dug in the ceiling.

In short, the visit not to be missed will delight travellers looking for authenticity.

A huge building for an informative. Nothing except plans.

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.

After several years of restoration work, a community of sisters, sisters of the unity of Antioch, lived there since January 2000. Ask to meet with French sister who will be pleased to visit this moving, historic place.

The visit begins first with the oldest piece. According to the dating of the wood on the door (juniper), this piece dates back over 2 000 years. In fact, this Christian sanctuary was first a pagan temple dedicated to the moon.

Then we go through a small little door to enter the church that would be one of the oldest in Syria. Its semicircular apse was on two floors. Inside, gradually after restoration, the frescoes are returned. Left was a mill. One enters the unique nave with two stone arches. The soil dating from the Middle ages has been restored.

On the walls, frescoes in pieces depicting the life of Christ are visible. The bottom of the tower is Roman times. The rest has been completely renovated. She was certainly a watchtower. Finally, the crypt, which was a place of refuge during the massacres of the th century under Baïbar and the th century under the Ottomans. According to the legend, two survivors of the massacre perpetuated in the th century escaped through a tunnel leading to the church of Saint-Nicolas today the Great mosque.

To conclude the tour of Qara, mark a stop at the Grande Mosque (Jaamea al-Kabir). Go down the main street 300 m from the church and turn right. This is actually an ancient cathedral converted into a mosque.

The façade also shows the Byzantine origins of the building.

Déchausser before entering, women must take a veil. Good example of small small town mosque, filled with carpets. The ancient capitals decorate the two mihrab.

From the main road, take a small lane on the right just before a large triangular square. The entrance of the church is a little further on the right. Ask the key to the merchants around the square.

The two Roman officers from Syria were a rich source of inspiration for Syrian religious artists. People in the late th century in Résafé (see «Résafé»), Saint Serge gave his name to the Catholic convent of Maaloula. Here, it is the frescoes that we have to admire. They are still practically intact around the year 1000, which is already fascinating. They represent Saint Serge on a horse, Saint John-Baptiste and the Child Nursing.

The recent Shia shrine, situated not far from the Umayyad mosque, is not missing. Its gloss inside, with a prayer room with hundreds of mirrors, dive in a green light light, slice with the sobriety of other places of worship in the city. Enter the place and observe the devotion of highly expressive Shia women in the expression of their faith. Women must wear a Muslim dress.

The construction of the mausoleum spanned 50 years (from 1172 to 1218). The facade is treated more soberly than that of the adjacent mausoleum, with an arc in full hanger. A small vestibule leads to a courtyard with a basin. On the right, the iwan and, on the left, the old prayer room, which opens onto the courtyard by five bays. All rooms around the courtyard, which were the rooms of the students and masters, are arranged in the library. Jadis once contained the grave of the brother of Saladin, Sultan Al-Adil Ed ed-Din, the man who raised the Damascus citadel, dead in 1218. It houses the Arab Manuscripts section of the National Library.

From the threshold to the éblouissante style of calligraphie style and to the mouqarnas, the funeral room is found on the right. One of the guards will gladly open it with a bakchich. While the tones and themes are identical to the mosaic décor of the Umayyad mosque, the execution is more coarse. Among other remarkable elements of the decor are the mihrab à, steeped in marble, ivory and mother's length, and decorated with floral motifs, calligraphy and geometric motifs, as well as baseboards with marble scales. Completed in 1278, the mausoleum of the Sultan mameluke Az-Zahir Baïbars occupies the location of a house formerly inhabited by Ayyoub, the father of Saladin. Madrasas acts as a library, and there are many dusty books among which the works on Islam contradict Lenin's works.

The Jaqmaqiya Jaqmaqiya was raised in the 1438 th century by the Mameluke governor of Damascus, Jaqimaq al-Argunsawi, who was then Sultan in Cairo from 1452 to. The facade is in black, pink and white. Inside, a central courtyard with a fountain is covered with a richly decorated ceiling worn by columns.

The decorative function of calligraphy, essential in the arts of Islam, is illustrated by the variety of media used: ceramic, stone, paper, metal, glass… On a stage on the right of the entrance, there are very beautiful copies of the Koran. The interest of this museum lies in its playful side, the game of recognizing styles of calligraphy (including the very old coufique, toulouth and naskhi). The lack of explanation unfortunately makes the visit a little tedious.

The most important of Damascus's leaders by its dimensions (2 500 m ²) is late construction. It was completed in 1753, after a little over a year of work. It is the work of Governor Assaad Pasha al-Azem (that of the Azem Palace). In 1833 Lamartine wrote: " It is a huge dome whose bold arch recalls that of Saint-Pierre in Rome. " Its very symmetrical plan consists of a central dome (now collapsed) and eight side domes 8 m in diameter, equipped with 18 openings each. Stairs serve a floor, where 40 rooms are arranged all around the central courtyard. This staircase leads above, to the roof roof from where the view embrasse the city. A fountain with fountain placed in the centre softens the austere effect of the foundation of black and white stone. At present, it is very often a temporary exhibition place. In sum two visits in one!

Among the many holy places and shrines in Damascus, there are three of them attracting the Shia pilgrims in Iran. They are the tomb of Hussein in the Great Mosque, the nearby Rouqqaya mosque, and finally the Saida Zeinab mausoleum. Dedicated to a granddaughter of Mohammed, this mausoleum takes you to Isfahan. The profusion of money and mirrors in the prayer rooms, the rich decor of tiles, the immense golden dome contrast with the modest suburb where it is located. To get there, take a collective taxi for Saida Zeinab (15 km from the city centre, on the road to Souweida south-east of Damascus).

At night, borrow the street that opens face to the mosque Sinan Pasha, recognizable to its unique minaret of green tiles. It is located at the southwest end of the old town.

Typical and unknown to tourists, this shopping street lit by small lamps runs through an ancient and popular area. We sell chicken, cheese, vegetables, pastry… in shops open on the street or on the ground, so you have the fabulous feeling of walking in a giant open-air grocery store. The warm bread leaving the furnaces is deposited on kinds of iron étendoirs. Men separate the patties, spread them and wait by arguing that the khoubz has cooled. Colours glossy, horns of the few daring drivers who dare to confront the crowd of pedestrians, sellers at the auction machine, smell of spices… to prolong this fabulous sensitive journey, stop the time of a tea on the few tables arranged on the terrace of a small café nestled on the terrace of a small coffee, just after the crossing with the main fruit and vegetables.

At the end of Bab Al-Jabiyé street, second-hand clothing enthusiasts or vintage lovers will take on the right about 100 m. There are dozens of small shops offering mostly frippes in very good condition for ridiculously priced prices. At the key, Hermès scarves, Burberry imperméables, Ralph Lauren shirts and many other treasures… but we are warning you, you must have the patience to look in the clothing mountains!

On an-Nasr's left wing, the High Court of Justice occupies the former seraglio of Ibrahim Pasha. The seraglio of the last Ottoman governors (headquarters of the current Ministry of the Interior), not far from Merjé square, facing the Hotel Kertaja, dates back to 1900.

From the telephone station, you can admire the lovely facade of the headquarters of the Société des eaux El-Fijé, which feeds Damascus into drinking water. Finally, the Hijaz station, built in 1913, retains a ceiling painted in the purest damascene style, in very good condition.

Of Persian origin, bimaristan, founded by Noureddin in 1154, hosted both a medical school and a care house. The Centre of Care disappeared in the th, the creation of a separate national hospital. The teachers who have exercised it have experienced a wide spread in the Arab world. There was a "vanguard" medicine. The care was free, the patients returned home with a little nest to help them recover. Some mental illnesses were even treated with music.

The small door to the north is strangely surmounted by a Roman lintel and mouqarnas (among the first visible in Syria). A first room contains naturalized animals. The Cour courtyard, very sober, is surrounded by three iwan. Iwan was reserved for teaching and consultations. The iwan to the south, reserved for prayer, contains a beautiful mihrab. The doors are surmounted by claustras in remarkable walls stucco.

Three rooms illustrate the considerable advance of the Islamic world in science and medicine in the Middle Ages.

This small palace, dating back to the late th century, is home to an antique shop. Ask to climb on the roof, a privilege that the store leader willingly grants… and in French. There is a splendid view of old Damascus, with the Hamidiyé Souk as the horizon. Almost opposite, on the other side of the street Noureddin ash-Shahid, is madrasas An-Nouri. It houses the grave of the Great Noureddin, but the original building has almost disappeared. If the door is closed, you can see the sepulchre through the grid from the alley.

By continuing on rue Al-Moawiya (that of madrasas An-Nouri, opposite the Osmane street), at 200 m, slightly on the right, you reach Bimaristan year-Nouri.

On the road leading from the monumental arc to the city stands the cella of an important sanctuary dedicated to Baalshamin. The cult of this god cananéen, «master of the heavens», responsible for rain and fertility, grew significantly from the Seleucids. The sanctuary, built gradually, consists of three peristyle courses extending to Zénobia Cham Palace. The facade of the temple is decorated with four columns. The cella has a specially treated semi circular thalamos. Finally, one of the few statues of origin still in its place lies in the north in relation to cella.

The decumanus of ancient Palmyra offers this singular (compared to that of Apamea for example) that it is not straight. Three sections mark, from east to west, the main axis of the Roman city and correspond to different periods and functions.

The first section links the shrine of Bêl with the monumental bow. This part, the most recent (beginning of the third century). I.C.), is unfortunately the most in ruins. Only the four columns that precede the nymphée have been restated.

The monumental Arc. The magnificent monumental arch marks the transition between the first section, with religious function, and the second that serves the official buildings.

To mask the decumanus splitting, the arc is composed of two interlocking arcs, one looking at the temple of Bêl, the other inside the inner axis of the city. The effect is remarkable, especially as the base of acorns and oak leaves, rosettes, bordeaux rinceaux is striking. The view over the colonnade and beyond the Arab castle through its central arch makes it the symbol of the city.

The path lined with porticos that opens then was not paved to allow the camels to borrow it. It dates back to the end of the th century.

The temple of Nebô. The first monument to the left is the sanctuary of Nebô, whose main entrance is to the south. The temple itself was in the centre of a trapezoidal enclosure lined with columns. A very visible altar faces the stairs leading to cella. A eldest son and interpreter of the great Mardouk of Babylon, Nebô is traditionally attached to Apollo.

The Diocletian's Baths. Back on the decumanus, we find four columns of granite from Egypt and marking the entrance of the Diocletian's baths. On the ground, there is the location of several parts surrounding a central basin. Restored by Diocletian at the end of the th century, the thermal baths actually date from the era of the Sévères.

The commercial function of the street is clearly marked right and left by the location of shops, opening under the porticos.

Theatre. Visit from 9 am to 18 pm. Left the theatre, deeply restored. Its modest size is certainly what is striking today. Only twelve rows of stands are found and there is nothing to say that there have been others. The stage wall, rebuilt at the end of the th century, was raised up to the first floor, which further accentuates the intimate character of this place.

The agora. In the west of the theatre, several administrative buildings were identified. The most important is agora. Its large rectangular open courtyard was surrounded by a portico whose base of the drums is still visible; this portico was lined with a wall wall with richly decorated openings. A centre of public life, the agora gave the east on an appendix where, in the 5 th century, the tariff of Palmyra was discovered, a stele of nearly 400 m wide containing more than engraved lines on order of the Senate. This stele set the amount of fees to be paid by caravans entering Palmyra. Much of the city's income came from this right of grant. The stele is now preserved at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

In the appendix, the theatre runs to the main street. In doing so, there are several vestiges of uncertain identification: Senate, Cesareum and Banquet Room.

. The tétrapyle then reaches the centre of an oval square. A major crossroads of the city, the tétrapyle gives access to a column in columns that cut the decumanus to the south. It is easy to recognize the only red granite column imported from Aswan, Egypt. The third segment segment leaves slightly right in the direction of Diocletian's Camp. This portion, the longest of the street (500 m), is also the oldest and serves, on both sides, poorly excavated residential areas. The part is, in the graph plan, revealed several ancient houses and basilicas. The very ground of the track shows in several points the remains of the pipes. A funeral temple welcomes the visitor at the end of the street.

Diocletian's camp. On the left, a new cross-sectional colonnade opens which serves to the right a neighbourhood called Diocletian's camp. This neighbourhood was built thirty years after the bag of Palmyra, at a time when the Roman Empire was threatened by sasanians attacks. A military complex, it included a temple at the signs that were reached by a fly of stairs. It celebrated the ceremonies of the warrior cult. In the face of the temple, a forum and various utility buildings complete the camp.

The. temple. The Mothers temple, founded before our age and located east of the camp, only remains the issuing and the six columns that give on the main via. Before it was ransacked at the end of pagan times, the temple was associated with the cult of the Greek goddess Athena.

The dimensions of the sanctuary, a large square enclosure of 175 m aside, and the state of conservation of the cella placed in its centre make this monument one of the most fabulous of the Roman Middle East after Baalbek.

Such a marvel was obviously not born in one day. It is on the location of a Hellenistic temple than in 32. The cella was dedicated to three deities: Bêl, Yarhibôl and Aglibôl, all three of the palmyrénien pantheon. This construction undoubtedly marks the affirmation of Roman sovereignty in Palmyra. It will then be necessary to wait until the beginning of the th century for the péribole to be enlarged and located in two rows of columns. The entrance gate (the one that locks up the existing counters) was completed only at the end of the th century. The latter wall included a monumental entrance (with stairs) which suffered greatly from the transformation of the sanctuary in place in the th century by the Mameluk. The spectacle of its re-replacement elements inserted into disorder proves the state of decay of the city of the day.

In the vast courtyard of the sanctuary, the eye is immediately drawn from the slightly regulator cella to the northeast. It is still partly surrounded by columns of its peristyle, especially on the east side. The peristyle was covered with slabs worn by also beams of stone. The portal, which has been restored, is of impressive size. The Syrian claw on this building is clearly reflected in the richness of the decoration (palmettes, fruit garlands, foliage…). In the axis of this portal opens the cella, large room 10 m on 30 m which constituted the heart of the temple. Facing, two thalamos, the most sacred part of the temple, which had the statues of the gods.

The left thalamos had a staircase and an annexe room. The richly decorated ceiling bears in its centre the effigy of Jupiter (the star associated with Bêl), surrounded by a first circle representing the six planets and a second bearing the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The southern thalamos is also surmounted by a monolithic bloc weighing several tens of tons, with pure geometric and floral decoration.

The fly of stairs that drove there is well preserved. Two other stairs inside the sacred chamber leading to the roof of the building. The room has a mihrab which attests the transformation of cella into mosque. By leaving the cella, you will note in the courtyard of the sanctuary, left, the traces of a bassin basin and, on the right, those of an altar. Behind the altar was identified the foundations of a banquet room near a processionnaire lane lined with stands that used to drive animals to sacrifice and climb on a gentle slope from the west wall wall.

From the Diocletian's camp (or city), it is possible to win the top of the mountain, which is dominated by the impressive Arab castle, but the ascent is aimed at the athletes and the brave because it is quite difficult. It is recommended that you do it at the cool hours (sunrise or sunset).

A good road bypassing the mountain makes it possible to win the castle by car. The view from the castle divide embraces all the ruins, oasis and tombs. At sunset, the remains are the parent of a subtle draped colour contrasting with the deep green of the oasis. The castle seems to be less impressive than the ruins. Often associated with a th-century Amir of the th century (Fakhr ed-Din), who allegedly said that he was a sling of sling against the Ottoman Empire, the castle came to the th or th centuries, as did the fortification of the temple of Bêl.

Watch the rôdeurs in front of the museum, trying to get you a ticket for the graves, even if you want to visit the museum only. Audioguide in French free at the entrance.

A true gem, this museum deserves to be spent at least one hour's visit. It exhibits superb pieces. Explanations are given in French. The small garden facing the entrance presents a beautiful set of statues, one of which is 3,50 m from the Mothers temple.

Right wing by entering.

Room 1. Very interesting signs present palmyrénienne writing. They complement the very clear explanations of the museum of Deir ez-Zor. On the right wall, one can see the oldest palmyrénienne inscription (44 BC).

Room 2. Model of the temple of Bêl.

Room 3. In front of the entrance, look at the palmyrénien boat with double rudder. Before you reach the next room, you must dwell on the magnificent camel relief packed.

Room 4. See, on the right, a relief depicting the temple of Baalshamin. He represents an eagle to the wings deployed surrounded by two smaller eagles. These are Aglibol (the Moon, left) and Malakbêl (right). See also, mosaics found in private houses and tessères and oil lamps from the great times of Palmyra. In the middle, two very beautiful windows exhibiting fine stone sculptures: statues, heads of personnalités, or many heads of children who give an idea of childhood 2 000 years ago.

Wing on the left. A statue of the Mothers goddess stands in the gallery, a statue of the Déesse goddess.

The following rooms are certainly the most beautiful of the museum. They expose the recent discoveries of 2007.

Room 4. Immediately right on the right, you admire a relief decorated with a funeral banquet scene. The head of the family is richly clothed: leather boots, tunic, large trousers. Other reliefs, from the tomb of Zubida, the heir of a large family of Palmyra, and the tomb of Zabda.

Room 5. Again a funeral banquet scene at the bottom of the room, where a long registration is arranged. All of them spotted the tomb of Bolabrak (a rich Palmyrénien). Registration is a fine example of cursive writing (from top down). Left of this relief, a woman wears her child.

This room, and the next one, highlight the skill of palmyréniens artists. Fatigue or old age features are accentuated on the faces while women are adorned with their beaux.

At the time of our passage, the city no longer had a tourist office, a new office was to open in the summer of 2010 in the garaj'Pullman, and another near the suspended bridge.

It is at the foot of Jebel Muntar (front of Palmyra entrance) that the main sources of Palmyra are located. From the outside, the remains of a former sanctuary are displayed below the road, with stone benches whose feet are bathed in water. But it is now forbidden to enter inside (in the bath itself) to appreciate the importance of the source. Indeed, the sanctuary is only the end of a long 350 m deep cave filled with sulphurous water at 33 ° C.

This recent museum, mainly dedicated to the Roman period, presents a superb collection of mosaics and statues discovered in the region. The presentation panels are very pedagogic and the proposed course follows chronological order. Some sculptures fully value artists'ability to deal with a material as thankless as basalt: the lintel with continuous decoration (room 6), from Jerash (7 th century), or busts in room.

Among the mosaics presented from Bosra, two main panels are particularly expressive: Artemis surprised the bath by Actéon and Venus at his toilet.

The calligraphy section presents some examples of safaïtique writing. Part of the floor is devoted to the Druze folklore.

From the Birket Al-Hajj, the citadel quickly wins. From the outside, nothing leaves the wonderful monument hanging behind its high walls. A deep ditch, a drawbridge bridge and eight massive square towers form defence. Archères are set in machicolated walls and surmounted by round paths. Most of the works date back to the ayyoubide era and are the initiative of Malik al-Adil, the brother of Saladin. Only the semi-circular form has what intrigue.

Past a few dark galleries, the visitor leads to the interior of a perfectly preserved Roman theatre. " A military theatre, certainly more than it needed to excite our archeological curiosity, "noted the French traveller Guillaume Rey in 1854. At that time, the interior was still crowded with a mosque and an arsenal.

After lengthy work that lasted until 1947, which allowed the passage of stands and passages, the theatre finally revived.

So it was its strong conversion, undertaken from the time of omeyyade, which finally allowed it to keep it intact: it is only the theatre of Aspendos (in Turkish territory) that is in such an exceptional state of conservation.

Its construction dates back to the middle of the th century. The three rows of 14, 18 and 5 gradins are perfectly preserved. They allowed for 9 000 spectators. Its diameter of 100 m holds it in the third place of the theatres of Syria, after Apamea and Cyrrhus.

But unlike those two, this theater is not standing on a hill. A complex network of galleries located in the service always allows access to the stands. From the proskenion (stage), where the actors unfold, we walk through a few steps to the orchestra where the choir was held. Behind the proskenion, the décor is treated as a three-storey palace facade. Only the decoration of the first level remains, with its columns to the corinthians capitals. Ultimate refinement, a silk vélum was stretched over the spectators to protect them from the sun's zeal in summer and the fine rain of the winter. The great curtain referred to the public in fine droplets the scented water that was evaporating.

Visible from the road, it trône on the small village of Salkhad. Careful not to take pictures of the summit of the citadel, the proximity of Jordan and Israel prompted the Syrian army to make it a point of observation.

It is likely, given the scarcity of tourists in this remote part of the territory, that one of the gentils guides you in this wonderful site. From the summit, the view of the other volcanoes is sumptuous.

The citadel is perched on the crater of a volcano of which it uses the cone as external defence. Seen as a defence station south of Damascus against cross-progress, its major date, however, in the restoration of the Mameluke sultan Baïbars (1277), whose lion appears in many places. The visit of the rooms requires a torch light. The northern glacis is particularly well preserved. Take a look at the casernements at the foot of the citadel. You'll even read, on inner partitions, graffiti in French. But nothing surprising on the merits, these shelters date from the French mandate.

Located in the heart of the village, on a small square, it dates back to 1232. He was connected to the main mosque, which remains nothing. Its hexagonal form is unique. In the center, there was a staircase. On the 12 m that have been preserved, we will note the surprising alternation of colours.

At the base of black basalt, succède red basalt is removed from a thin clear frise.

The inhabitants of Salkhad organize prayer ceremonies around the dead bodies in this place. The casket is laid on the flat stone next to the minaret while the muezzin calls the inhabitants at the ceremony. On the pitch of the square, white writing on black background reminds the singularity: " Out of respect for this place, please do not smoke and not speak during prayer. " Lower, between four walls painted in green, lies Suleiman, one of the saints in the region. An elderly lady is watching the place.

Provide free maps of the site and all the information necessary to visit Palmyra and its region. Practice on condition to be Anglophone.

To guide you on the road, ask for the direction of the nearby Nabi Houri sanctuary, and much better known than under its ancient name. The tomb of this Muslim saint that is worships here is housed in an astonishing Roman tomb of several metres high. Visible on the left of the access road, it is hexagonal and its second floor in lantern has a pyramid roof. The ribbons attached to the tomb of the tomb report the passage of Kurdish visitors. It is indeed a custom to leave a piece of cloth to mark its presence in a place. The surrounding area is littered with drums and half-record capitals in the ground. The ruins of Cyrrhus are hidden behind a hill at 200 m from the mausoleum. It was founded by Seleucus at the beginning of the th century BC, perhaps to shelter the headquarters of one of its satrapies, annexed a time to the kingdom of Armenia, and it will have to await the arrival of the Romans who will make it a military and commercial base. Fortifiée was fortified by Justinian as an important Christian community. Cyrrhus dépeuplera quickly. Noureddin by chasing the crusaders who settled there in 1150. Only a French mission became interested in these ruins from 1952, most of which are still buried. The wild frame in which the remains are divided at least as much as the remains themselves.

Bishop Théodoret de Cyr owes the biography of the saint. Born in 389 at Sis, between Cilicia and Syria, the young Simeon is shocked by the words of the Gospel. He then attends a ascetics retreat from his region and went to the monastery of Teleda where he spent ten years of his existence fighting Evil.
Continuing along this path, he joins the monastery of Telanissos (the present Deir Samaan) where he remains recluse three years. But anachorite wants more. He decides to isolate himself on the nearby hill in a restricted space that he defines by an enclosure. The reputation of this ascetic is beginning to exceed the framework of Telanissos. We come a long way to get his blessings. It is then that he designs the project permanently at the top of a column. Twelve metres high, it preaches ever more crowds and has a great reputation in the Bedouin, some of which are converted to Christianity. To protect it from the pilgrims'assaults, the column is even enhanced at a height of sixteen metres and surrounded by railings.
This form of new asceticism will spread in the East. The stylite (of the Greek stûlos which means "column") will do school especially in the dead cities. In contrast to the first monks who, in Egypt in the fourth century, withdrew from the world by settling in the desert (Saint Antoine was the first of them), Syrian stylites, on the model of Saint Benedict and Saint Basile, maintain contact with the population that they urged faith. Atarib is another hermit in the region, removed not far from Bab al-Hawa.
For forty years, Saint Simeon prêchera from the top of his column by all the time. At his death, in 459, his remains were transferred to the church of Constantine in Antioch and then to Constantinople. In 476, probably under the impetus of the Byzantine emperor Zénon, a martyrium is founded - a monumental construction whose remains are admired today.
Fourteen years of work is required, the architects come from the surrounding areas; we will look for arms to Antioch. The pilgrimage centre at Deir Samaan operated until the th century. It was even restored during the Byzantine recovery of the th century before permanently falling with the whole massif.

The last Aleppo soap factory delivers its secrets of manufacture, to be visited preferably between January and March, the period of manufacture of the soaps. The products developed here are exported to many large French surfaces!

A 30 minutes'boat from the Qal Jaber, another island was born during the construction of the Assad dam below. There, no ruins to visit, but the opportunity to make a diving in the turquoise waters of the Euphrates, far from prying eyes…

Ask Houssein, the head of the restaurant at the foot of the Qal Jaber, to know the owner of the boat and to call him upon request.

The fortifications, which literally dress the limestone hill on which the fortress is built, are the most impressive parts of the whole. Brick work was strongly restored during the campaign to rescue the antiquities of the Euphrates.

The double wall is equipped with 35 towers of different shapes: square, octagonal, semi-circular… The brick, according to a well-represented mesopotamian use in Simoen, was used both for defence and decoration. To visit the interior of the citadel, deep in ruins, there is a vaulted passage.

On the summit, at 347 m altitude, stands a circular minaret also in brick, only remains of an extinct mosque.

The tower of the citadel offers an extraordinary circular view on the lake and the dam. Do not hesitate to swim if the heart tells you, the water is crystal clear and the site charming. After the desert, this immense expanse of water cools minds and bodies. The recommendations for the beach are of course the same here, especially if there is a world.

The site marries the shape of a triangle delimited by well-preserved walls and it is interesting to take the tour to appreciate its quality. The wall around the Euphrates on 385 m is the most damaged by time. The north and south walls (350 and 550 m, respectively) are drilled with two well-marked doors near the river. The current route crosses the axis delimited by these two doors, which probably constituted the main route of the site.

The gypsum wall is flanked by towers which are set at intervals of not more than 50 m. By crossing the northern wall through a steep road, a larger building is achieved than the towers: . Its dimensions allowed the garrison to stay there. The end of its walls and its vaults is well preserved on three floors. From the top of the building, the view on the river is particularly beautiful. The ruins of Zalabiyé, the site on the opposite shore, are visible in the south. Less well preserved than those in Abu, they are accessible by a road from Deir ez-Zor.
By continuing to climb, the citadel is reached, but its access is dangerous. More easily accessible, the remains of the two basilicas located in the centre of the site. Unfortunately, they are in ruins, and the wall is. Several funeral towers, supplemented by tombs dug in the rock, are visible outside the walls, north of the enclosure.

The visit may be disappointing for those who expect to discover very visible remains, the site does not offer any documentation. The walls of dried raw clay bricks have been greatly deteriorated due to the rare but torrential rains raging in the region. Only a 700 m ² area was protected in 1974 by a white roof, rather unaesthetic. It is not enough, moreover, to prevent the destruction process. Following the 2007 archaeological campaign, some pieces of the Palace of the Second Millennium were ensablés while other areas were gradually being released. By leaving the car park, take the small trail to go to the ziggurat (also called High Terrace) which lies right on the right of the Palais-Lim palace. All around a number of religious buildings are the temple aux Lions of 2000 B.C., the temple of Shamash, temple of Nini-Zaza (middle of the third millennium). Then descend west to arrive at the sacred enclosure. A small corridor between thick and high walls of clay gives access to the sacred enclosure of a présargonique palace on the right. From the maze of rooms, the main square room, which contains water supply facilities, will be identified. This présargonique portion was covered by a much larger palace named Zimri-Lim, the name of the last king of Mari.

To find out, you leave the protected area to reach the main courtyard, the hub of the building. She reported on the left with the court of the Palm, which had superb murals protected by a canopy.

In a room that precedes the palm courtyard in the south, the statue of the goddess in from vase was discovered today in Aleppo. The next piece is the throne room. This heart of the palace was complemented by a multitude of small pieces intended for the royal apartments (west of the sacred enclosure), the palace staff, the service staff, the women's apartments. Many warehouses were built there. The ensemble was built on two floors and had 300 pieces and a library of over 20 000 tablets.

By leaving the palace, in the west, the temple of Ishtar is located in an area of présargoniques excavations.

Near the Simoen museum, it is interesting to walk in the city's souk, which extends around the clock square. Do preferably before 13 pm to have the chance to see a little animation.