Discovery holiday in Syria
| country: | Syria |
| departures: | 2010: 17 Apr, 25 Apr, 2 Oct, 16 Oct |
| price: | £1595 (9 days) excluding international flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Bordering Turkey, Iraq, the Lebanon and Jordan, Syria is one of the Middle East's most interesting and historically rich countries with much to offer the traveller.
Syria boasts the oldest inhabited city, the best preserved Roman amphitheatre and the fabulous crusader castle of Crac de chevaliers, described by Lawrence of Arabia as 'the finest castle in all the world'.
A visit to Syria will transport you back to a time of ancient civilisations and will show you a diverse range of history, cultures and politics.
Syria boasts the oldest inhabited city, the best preserved Roman amphitheatre and the fabulous crusader castle of Crac de chevaliers, described by Lawrence of Arabia as 'the finest castle in all the world'.
A visit to Syria will transport you back to a time of ancient civilisations and will show you a diverse range of history, cultures and politics.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | UK - Aleppo: Fly from LHR on BA6555 at 1625 to Aleppo. On arrival at 2320 we will be met and transferred from Aleppo airport to our hotel, which is of a very good standard and was formerly an old merchant’s house (khan) within the narrow winding streets of the souk. |
| Day 2: | Aleppo: A full day in Aleppo - the Old City deserving its status as a “World Heritage Site” and vying with Damascus for title of the world’s oldest continually inhabited city. We visit the citadel that dominates the city and was the Muslim powerbase during the Crusades. Then to the Museum, The Great Mosque, the Madrassa Halawiyya, formerly the cathedral of St. Helen and to some other Christian, Maronite and Armenian churches. We shall also explore the bustling Souq, still the main centre of commerce and regarded as one of finest souks in the Middle East. Finally we shall go for a drink in the Baron Hotel, a favourite watering hole of T.E. Lawrence and Agatha Christie who both stayed here at various times. Entering the portals of this atmospheric hotel one is transported back to the nostalgia of the early C20th – Agatha Christie wrote part of Murder on the Orient Express at the Baron - hardly altered in the intervening years. Dinner at a local restaurant and a second night at our hotel. |
| Day 3: | Aleppo - Ar Raqqa: Today we drive east to spend a night at the desert town of Ar Raqqa – across wild arid desert plains and wooded hills to the River Euphrates, the life-blood of the country. We follow the river, crossing the dams that form Lake Asad, created in 1960s to harness this mighty waterway to provide irrigation and hydroelectricity. Along the way we may picnic and swim and also visit the ancient remote castle of Al Jabir. Stay at a local hotel. |
| Day 4: | Ar Raqqa - Palmyra: After breakfast in Ar Raqqa we drive south to the castle and walled Roman city at Rasafa - then travel on to the desert oasis setting of Palmyra (City of Palms), dating from around C2nd AD - an area of 50 hectares of partly restored Roman tombs, temples and rows of colonnades. Early rulers of Palmyra (then named Tadmor) included the Assyrians and Persians and were an important staging post for caravans and travellers from Europe via the Mediterranean to Mesopotamia and on to the Silk Road, India and China. As a Roman outpost the widow of a local governor briefly ruled it; Queen Zenobia claimed descent from Cleopatra. After exploring this site we drive a short distance to a desert oasis where we shall camp for the night. |
| Day 5: | Palmyra - Damascus: There is an option of bathing in hot sulphur springs before breakfast this morning. We then drive to Damascus stopping briefly in a village of traditional beehive houses and then visiting the Greek Orthodox Convent of Our Lady at Seidnayya with its famed icon of the Virgin Mary, supposedly painted by St. Luke. After checking into our hotel and lunch we shall begin our exploration of the old city, walking through the Souq with its network of small streets and alleyways – visiting some of the beautiful old Damascene houses built around courtyards, their entrances hidden behind heavy decorated doors -one such being the privately owned 18th century Dahdah Palace. We shall be able to visit the old coffee houses, and see a flamboyant storyteller entertaining his audience with legendary tales. We shall have dinner within the Souq before returning to our hotel nearby. |
| Day 6: | Damascus:After breakfast our full day city tour of Damascus starts at the Umayyad Mosque, built in 705AD, one of the most important Islamic buildings with its magnificent domes and mosaic-encrusted minarets. This site of worship stretching back over 3000 years contains a Byzantine basilica with a casket said to contain the head of St. John the Baptist. After visiting the tomb of Saladin nearby we move on to the C18th Azem Palace of the Governor of Damascus, built with the contrasting effect of black basalt stone and pale limestone and sandstone. Set around a courtyard are the many rooms which have been richly restored, each with a different themed display of family life. We shall walk along Straight Street, (where Paul of Tarsus is said to have had his conversion) which bisects the Old City and further explore the Hamidiyya Souk. Within the Christian Quarter of the City we shall also visit the Church of St. Ananias after which we shall have dinner in a local restaurant and again stay the night in Damascus. |
| Day 7: | Damascus – Krac de Chevaliers: After breakfast we head north travelling first to the isolated monastery of Mar Musa perched high on a cliff facing a barren, deserted plain. We climb on foot up the rocky gorge to visit this small self-sufficient community, one of the remaining few that continue in the old tradition of the desert monasteries. Mar Musa was founded by Moses a 6th century Ethiopian monk and the walls of its small church are covered with beautifully preserved frescoes. We continue on to Krac de Chevaliers. Described by T.E. Lawrence as “the finest castle in the world” and the best preserved in the Middle East. It looks much as it would have done 800 years ago when Saladin considered it prudent to pass by without an attack. In a commanding position atop a high ridge the fortress has never been breached. With its towers, inner and outer fortification walls, its Knights Dining Hall with vaulted roof it is the epitome of a dream castle complete with its carvings of lions, the symbols of Richard I- The Lionheart. We shall be able to see the sun rising behind this Crusader Castle from our overnight hotel across the valley. |
| Day 8: | Krac de Chevaliers – Aleppo: Continuing north towards Aleppo – on the way we visit both Roman and Crusader sites. Starting atC11th AD Castle at Marqab (Margat), built of black basalt with commanding views to the Mediterranean; then on to the stunning Roman city of Apamea with its 2 km main street of grey granite colonnades. Built in C3BC overlooking the rich plains of Al Ghab and famed for its horses the Greek historian Strabo recorded that the city had 33,000 horses and 500 war elephants. Its chequered history includes being visited by Anthony and Cleopatra, seized by Pompey in 64BC, occupation by Persians, Crusaders and Muslims as a stopover for pilgrims en route to Mecca. Onwards to Saladin’s Castle (Sahyun). Building started here at the end of The C10th AD to control the main route between Aleppo and port of Lattakia. The Crusaders took over in C12th continuing the construction of the fortifications, but Saladin breached these when he regained control in 1188. We drive on to Aleppo for dinner and stay in our hotel within the souk. |
| Day 9: | Aleppo - UK: Departure transfer to Aleppo airport in time for flight BA6556 at 0535 arriving in London Heathrow at 0900 |
travellers' tales
For me, most the memorable part was visiting Crak des Chevalier crusaders' Castle highlighted by a small boy singing his prayers in the fantastic acoustics in the mosque/former church. But this was just one part of so many very memorable occasions. (more)
what this trip includes
Trips are on full board basis, and include transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water and entrance fees. how this holiday makes a difference
 In Syria we use local ground handlers who in turn book locally run hotels, providing employment for a number of members of staff and support families. The ground handlers also use local drivers and camp staff, and ensure that all supplies are purchased locally for the journey. This means that all the operational costs go directly into the local economy. We have a strict environmental policy to make sure that the fragile eco-structure of the desert is not damaged or spoilt in any way. Our guides are trained to uphold this policy and all clients are fully briefed on appropriate/responsible behaviour whilst in wilderness areas. Our “Leave No Trace” ethic is applied to all trips in all regions, and as tour operators is something we are careful to promote. In each area we employ and develop close relationships with drivers, camp staff and guides. We feel the interaction between our friends and our clients offers both parties a valuable understanding between cultures. When you take one of our trips, we make a contribution to “Carbon Clear” – an organisation who work with hundreds of organisations to measure their carbon footprint and reduce their carbon emissions. We also support several NGOs around the world such as the Hope Foundation, A-Cet and Adopt-A-Minefield, which are all carefully selected to improve the standard of living for the communities we visit. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |