Syria

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Damascus

Population

17,585,000

Government

Republic under military regime

Religions

Islam (Sunni, Alawite, Druze), Christianity

Languages

Arabic, Kurmanji

Calling Code

+963

Nationality

Local name

Suriyah

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Introduction

Al Bara

© All Rights Reserved krissy

Syria has been listed by U.S. intelligence agencies as a drug trafficking, terrorist supporting country. Since September 11, moreover, many governments have heartily recommended their citizens to shy away from travel to the nation. And sure, the anti-Western (or, rather, anti-American) sentiment is pretty heartfelt by some; but this one-sided view of Syrians belies their friendliness, warmth and remarkable hospitality.

History is at the core of Syria's attractions. Damascus, one of the world's oldest cities and Syria's largest, might be remembered by some Sunday-school attenders as one of the places Jesus visited. These days, it's a city whose main architectural influence is Islam and whose vibrancy is owing to a lively collection of bazaars and markets. Ruins and ancient castles dot the landscape, with Palmyra one of the finest sites in the Middle East (and it has some pretty formidable competition).

Brief History

Geography

Although Syria is mainly a large dry area, consisting of deserts or desertlike landscapes, the country has some other areas that are remarkably fertile, especially along a small coastal zone in the northwest. Here, citrusfruits are grown. The coastal area is also the highest part of the country with a moutainrange as a backbone from north to south. The highest areas are along the border with Lebanon with the highest point over 2800 meters.

The agricultural hart lies between this coastal zone and the deserts more in the east and southeast of the country. In this agricultural zone are most cities, like Aleppo and Damascus. The Euphrates river is one of the most important rivers in Syria and a main supplier of irrigation water, compensating the lack of rain most of the year. The deserts in the (south)east are dry, flat and stony and apart from a few oasis, nothing really grows here and settlements are few and far between.

Syria shares international borders with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon.

Regions

Syria is divided into 14 provinces, called Muhafazats. Actually there are 13, the Muhafazat of Dimashq (Damascus, the capital) has a special status. The other 13 are:

Northeast

• Muhafazat Dayr az Zawr (Deir ez Zor)
• Muhafazat al Hasakah
• Muhafazat ar Raqqah

North

• Muhafazat Halab (Aleppo)
• Muhafazat Idlib

South

• Muhafazat Rif Dimasq
• Muhafazat al Qunaytirah
• Muhafazat as Suwayda'
• Muhafazat Dar'a

West

• Muhafazat al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia)
• Muhafazat Hamah (Hama)
• Muhafazat Hims (Homs)
• Muhafazat Tartus

Cities

Damascus
Aleppo
Homs
Hama
Latakia
Deir ez Zor

Sights and Activities

Palmyra

Palmyra is one of the most impressive historical sites in the Middle East. Its location in a rugged and beautiful desert setting gives it that extra touch. The Roman ruins date back mainly to the 2nd century AD and are best visited at sunset when it is still quiet and both wind and high temperatures are absent. From the town of Palmyra it is just a 5 minute walk to the ruins and spending a couple of nights here is welcome especially after the hectic situation in Damascus or Aleppo. The site of Palmyra is placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Damascus

Damascus is the longest inhabited capital city in the world, with people living here for at least 4000 years! The entirely walled Old City is the place to visit, as the rest of the city can be pretty hectic and there is much less to see there. Just wandering around the hustle and bustle of the souqs or the surprisingly quiet christian and armenian neighbourhoods is an experience of a unique kind. To make things complete, at least bring a visit to the Umayyad Mosque with its peaceful square, marmer tiles and splendid carpets inside the mosque itself.

Dura Europos and Mari

These two ancient sites are perfectly set on the banks of the Euphrates river, not far from the Iraqi border. From a historical point of view, there are big differences between the two sites. Dura Europos mainly is a Roman site, with most ruins dating back a bit more than 2000 years. Mari on the other hand was a very important Mesopotamian city, meaning people lived here almost 5000 years ago. Both sites are not far from the main road between Deir ez Zor and the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal. You can take any minibus from Deir or Abu Kamal, just ask to stop the car in time and wait for the next minibus which won't take long. A good thing because the view of a flat monotonous desertplain on both sides of the road gets boring after a while.

Aleppo

Although Damascus is the capital, Aleppo is the biggest city in Syria, with over 4 million people living in the municipality. Just like Damascus though, wandering around the souqs brings you back in time and you can buy everything you want, from gold to sheephead. A concrete stomach comes in rather handy at these moments. Another major landmark in Aleppo is the Citadel, a fortified place from where you have a good view over the greencoloured roofs of the mosques.

Krak des Chevaliers

Krak des Chevaliers is probably one of the most impressive structures in Syria. It is a Crusader Castle and dates back from that time, some 800 years ago. It looks like a typical castle like children would draw it and can be visited as a day trip from places like Hama.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Summermonths in Syria are hot at most days and in most parts of the country. It is not comfortable visiting for example Palmyra when temperatures reach 45 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the months of June until early September are best avoided. All other months are comfortable enough for a visit and because of the dry air even a warmer day is bearable. Wintermonths can get a bit cold on the other hand and even snow occurs in the higher parts but also in Damascus and surroundings. Although freezing temperatures are not the norm for weeks in a row, it can be very cold sometimes at night. Also, in winter most rain falls although this is not much and won't give any problems while travelling around the country.
Only the coastal zone has a more temperate climate with warm but relatively humid summers and mild and relatively wet winters.

Getting There

By Plane

There are two international airports in Syria: Damascus International Airport (DAM) and Aleppo International Airport (ALP). The former is the main port of entry for most travellers arriving by plane, although Aleppo has connections with a dozen or so places (mostly in the Middle East). Syrian Air^[1] is the national airline.

By Train

• Turkey - Syria vv

Every Sunday around 9am, a sleeper train leaves Haydarpasa station in Istanbul for the Syrian city of Aleppo, arriving on Mondays around 2pm. In the opposite direction the train leaves Aleppo station on Tuesdays around 11 am, taking over 30 hours to reach Istanbul early evenings on Wednesday.

• Syria - Jordan vv

A twice weekly train travel between the capital of Syria, Damascus, and the capital of Jordan, Amman. The train leaves both places on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 o'clock in the morning and take 9 hours to complete the schedule. Although slower than buses and shared taxis, this train ride comes as a welcome alternative for train fanatics.

• Syria - Iran vv

There is a weekly train travelling from Damascus to Tehran, stopping in Aleppo in Syria and Tabriz in Iran along the way. Like the train from Istanbul to Tehran, the journey contains two stages, one to Lake Van and one from Lake Van onwards.

By Car

With your own car, it's relatively easy to cross borders to and from Syria from Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. Borders with Israel are closed and it's not advised to travel to and from Iraq, though technically the border near Abu Kamal in the extreme east is open. Have your documentation and papers regarding car, yourself and insurance in order.

By Bus

Syria shares borders with Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Iraq. Apart from the latter two, there are numerous connections to the countries. The borders with Israel is closed and it is good to notice that having an Israelian stamp in your pasports means you can not enter the country. It is even possible to travel to far away destinations on the Arabian Peninsula like Saudi Arabia and, with a connection in Jordan, to places as far as Dubai. The border with Iraq (at Abu Kamal) is open, but no foreigners are allowed to cross.
Taxis to Damascus are easy to arrange from Amman and the journey takes around 4 hours including the time spent crossing the border. Shared taxis leave when full or it's possible to pay more and leave when you want if there are less of you.
Buses travel between Amman and Damascus and between Beirut and Damascus. Baalbek in Lebanon can be reached by taxi only. From Aleppo and Latakia, you can also travel by bus to Beirut and Tripoli in the north of Lebanon.
Buses from Aleppo usually go across the border to Turkish cities in the south, with onward transport from there, for example to Istanbul.
You can do most trips in stages, for example stopping in Irbid, taking a taxi from Damascus.

By Boat

Currently, there are no international passenger services serving Syria.

Getting Around

By Plane

Although Syrian Arab Airlines has cheap and reliable flights to the main cities, the fact that Syria is not so big does mean that taking a flight won't be necessary most times. But if you feel the desire, you can fly from Damascus to Aleppo, Deir ez Zor, Latakia, Palmyra and Qamishli.

By Train

Travelling by train is only for the train ethusiasts, as it is much slower than taking a bus for example. On the other hand, you travel through some great landscapes on some routes and it is very cheap, about one US dollar for a 4 hour traintrip. Probably the best way to enjoy the mountainous area in the northwest is by taking a train from Aleppo to Latakia. Also, a train from Deir ez Zor to the border town of Qamishle is a nice experience and there are good connections by bus across the border with Turkey.
If you want you can travel between Aleppo and Damascus as well, but usually this involves travelling all the way via Latakia on the coast and back towards Homs before actually going further south.

By Car

Main roads are not that bad, but many secondary roads are a bit bumpy. The chaotic traffic needs some adjustment as well. Most people don't rent cars, but it is perfectly possible to visit some more remote parts by rental car (with driver is possible as well). Or bring your own car if you are travelling overland to the Middle East or Africa from Europe. You need an international driver's licence and insurance.

By Bus

Most travellers take the bus while travelling around Syria. It is cheap, reliable, fast and travel is over good tarred roads in very comfortable buses with airconditioning. There is good competition on all routes and it won't take long after arriving on the busstation before you are on your way. Karnak and Transtour are the main operatos and ther are some private taxis and minibuses that ply most routes as well, being competitively priced and a bit faster as well.

By Boat

Syria doesn't have enough water to travel around by boat other than a fishing tour on the Mediterranean Sea.

Red Tape

Remember that having an Israeli stamp in your pasport is not allowed when entering the country. Your passport will be checked so make sure you don't have one. Most travellers to Syria need a visa except Arab nationals (though Iraqi people need one) and recently some visa rules have been tightened, meaning you need to book some hotels for example or know someone in the country. It's much easier (and safer) to arrange a visa from your home country at the nearest embassy or consulate before arrival, but nationalities without Syrian representation in their home country may obtain a visa on arrival at Syrian borders, e.g for New Zealanders. If you have an embassy/consulate in your home country, you need to get the visa from that particular one. This makes it quite impossible to get one during travelling, unless you don't have one in your home country.
If you are travelling by bus or car from Turkey or Jordan, it's likely that your driver will help you clear immigrations to minimise delays.

Leaving Syria by land there is a departure tax of 500 Syrian pounds (around 10 USD), which you pay for a form that you fill in and hand to immigrations - half of it will be returned, don't lose it because you will need it even after you leave immigrations as it will be collected by the officer at the other side of the fence - e.g. on the Jordanian or Turkish side.

Money

See also Money Matters

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available in major cities such as Damascus, Aleppo and Hama, often in air-conditioned internet cafes that open late and connections are surprisingly good.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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