Syrian Sights - Universal Travel House

SYRIA, THIS FABULOUS COUNTRY ON THE EASTERN COAST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN IS THE LAND WHERE THE WORLD'S CULTURE MET AND GAINED ITS INDIVIDUALITY. ITS NATURAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY MAKES IT AN ATTRACTION.

ON THE WEST COAST REGION THE SUN WARMS THE WHITE SAND BEACHES AND RESERVES THE GREENNESS OF THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN DESERT EXPANDING EASTWARD TOWARD AL - JEZIRA GREEN PALMS BORDERING MOSOPOTAMIA.

THE NORTH WHITE LIMESTONES OF THE NORTH CONTRAST WITH THE BLACK STONES OF THE VOLCANIC - NATURE OF HAWRAN IN THE SOUTH.
THE MOSAIC - LIKE, GEOGRAPHY INCUBATE SITES, GOING BACK TO 5000 YEARS TIME, TAL MARDIEKH "EBLA" ONCE WAS A GREAT MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL POWER SOUTH WEST ALEPPO, MARI ON THE EUPHRATES, AND UGARIT THE FOUNDATION OF THE ALPHABET AMONG MANY OTHER CITY STATES.
UNDOUBTEDLY PALMYRA THE PEARL OF DESERT IS ONE OF THE REMARKABLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WHICH WITNESSED THE GREAT ERA. THE AMPHITHEATER OF BOSRA, PALMYRA AND JEBLAH ARE GOOD EXAMPLES OF THE FLOURISH OF THESE CIVILIZATIONS.

MONOTHEISM MAJOR RELIGIONS CRADDLED IN SYRIA, WHERE MANY CHRISTIAN BASILICAS AND GREAT MOSQUES WERE FOUNDED.
SAINT SEMON CHURCH, SAINT HANANNIAS CHAPEL AND MA'ALOULA WHERE THE MOTHER TONGUE OF JESUS CHRIST STILL SPOKEN IN ADDITION TO MANY OTHER CONVENTS AND CHURCHES SCATTERED ON THE COUNTRY.
THE OMAYYAD MOSQUES WITH ITS GREATNESS IN ARCHITECTURAL IN DAMASCUS AND ALEPPO WITH THEIR MANOVITES STILL GLORIFYING THE NAME OF GOD, MONUMENTS OF FAMOUS ISLAMIC LEADERS AND HOLY MEN AND WOMEN, RECALLS THE SERENITY ISLAM HISTORY.

A COUNTRY WITH THIS GRAUDEUR AS IT WAS THE CROSS ROAD OF THE TRADE ROUTES BETWEEN EAST AND WEST. AND THE PILGRAME PASSAGE WHICH WAS A BATTLE FIELD AND TARGET TO MANY INVASIONS THAT CAUSES THE FLOURISHING OF MILITARY ARCHITECTURE WHERE STILL, THE KRACK DE CHEVALIERS, SALADIN CASTLE, DAMASCUS AND ALEPPO CITADELS, TOGETHER WITH MANY OTHERS.
MUSEUMS ARE THE HISTRO - ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD OF NATIONS.
THE EXISTING COLLECTION OF FINDINGS AT ALEPPO, DAMASCUS, PALMYRA, EBLA AND DEIR EZZOR, MUSEUMS SUMS UP THE HISTORY OF COUNTRY AND STILL MANY STILL WAITING TO BE DISCOVER WHICH PROVES THE SAYING THAT UNDER EACH STONE IN SYRIA STILL AN UNDISCOVERED MONUMENT.

SYRIAN CITIES

DAMASCUS DAMASCUS IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY -POPULATED URBAN CITY. IN THE OLD CITY YOU CAN SEE SAINT ANANAS CHAPEL AND SAINT PAUL'S WINDOW WHERE HE HAD STARTED HIS MISSIONARY TRIP TO EUROPE. IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY SURROUNDED BY THE WALL AND THE REMAINS OF THE SEVEN GATES IS THE " OMAYYAD MOSQUE" STILL OCCUPYING A SACRED SITE THAT GOES BACK TO THE 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. THE BAZAARS AND KHANS - CARAVANSARIES - IN OLD DAMASCUS DENOTES DAMASCUS COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE.

PALMYRA PALMYRA "TADMOR", THE BRIDE OF THE SYRIAN DESERT ONCE WAS A GREAT DYNASTY CONNECTED WITH ZENOBIA , (THE FEMALE QUEEN). THE PRESENT MONUMENTS WITH ITS DUNE - BEATEN STONES. THE NECROPOLIS, TEMPLES, HYPOGUM REFLECT THE METROPOLITAN AND ORIENTAL EFFECTS.

ALEPPO ONCE WAS THE NORTHERN CAPITAL AND THE ENTRECOTE BETWEEN WEST AND EAST. IT IS SAID ITS CONSTRUCTION GOES BACK TO THE TIME OF ABRAHAM. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOUKS AND KHANS STILL USED FOR TRADE, STRESSES ITS COMMERCIAL POSITION. ATOP THE CITY IS THE SHIMMERING WHITE CITADEL. THE CULTURAL IMPORTANCE CAN BE TRACED ON THE "MADRASSAS" SCHOOLS AND THE GRAND MOSQUE IN THE OLD CITY.

SAINT SIMEON CHAPEL THE GREAT CRUCIFORM BASILLICA COMPLEX, BUILT ON THE SITE WHERE SIMEON THE STYLIST HAD LIVED, WAS A PILGRIMAGE PLACE DURING THE BYZANTINE ERA.

UGARIT UGARIT WAS A GREAT INTERNATIONAL PORT ON THE SYRIAN COAST, IT IS ONE OF THE FEW BRONZE AGE SITES, RAS SHAMRA ALPHABET WITH ITS CUNIFORM SYMBOLS WHICH WAS KEPT IN THE LIBRARY OF THIS CITY SACKED BY THE SEA PEOPLE.

APAMEA APAMEA WAS FOUNDED IN THE YEAR (300 B.C.) BY SELEUCUS IBN NICATOR, THE HELLENISTIC EMPEROR NAMED TO COMMEMORATE HIS PERSIAN WIFE. ITS RICH PASTURES WERE A GOOD PLACE FOR BREEDING CAVALRY HORSES, AND A MILITARY BASE AND ITS CARDO MAXIMUS WITH ITS TWISTED FLUTED COLUMNS SERVED AS A PILGRIMAGE PATH, NOT TO FORGET ITS ECONOMICAL AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE.

MARI MARI, THE PALACE STATE WHICH WAS AN IMPORTANT COMMERCIAL CENTER AS WELL ECONOMICAL AND POLITICAL. THE REMAINS OF ZIMRI - LIM AND THE ARCHIVE DISCOVERED IN ITS LIBRARY TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE AREA. "DURA EUROPOS" ESTABLISHED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE HELLENISTIC ERA, WAS FOUNDED AS A NETWORK OF MILITARY COLONIES DESTROYED BY INVADERS AND EARTHQUAKES, AND PROVIDES A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EARLY CHRISTIAN ART.

RUSAFA RUSAFA OR SERGIOPOLIS HAD BEGUN AS A PILGRIMAGE TOWN UNDER THE BYZANTINE CONTROL. IT BECAME UNDER THE ISLAMIC DOMAIN, AND ITS FACILITIES WERE DESTROYED BY MILITANT AND NATURAL DISASTERS.

KRAK DE CHEVALIERS KRAK DE CHEVALIERS IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THE MEDIEVAL MILITANT ARCHITECTURE. A FORTRESS ON A 750 M. HEIGHT HILL WITH A SPACE ENOUGH FOR 2000 KNIGHTS AND THEIR HORSES. IT WAS RESTORED DURING THE ISLAMIC ERA AND CONTINUED TO BE USED FOR DEFENCE.

SOUTHERN REGION AMONG THE VOLCANIC ROCK ARE THE REMAINS OF PHILIPPOPOLIS NESTING SCULPTURES OF MOSAICS BESIDE THE REMAINS OF A TEMPLE OF NABATEAN TIMES. THE MOST DISTINGUISHED SITE IS THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE STILL IN GOOD SHAPE IN BOSRA CONCEALED BY ISLAMIC FORTIFICATION WALL.

SEIDNAYA "NOTRE DAME DE SARDENYE" THE STORY OF THE BUILDING OF THIS CHAPEL IS CLEARLY OBVIOUS ON THE PAINTING INSIDE. THE CONCEALED IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN IS SAID TO BE PAINTED BY SAINT LUKE.

MAALOULA THIS VILLAGE CLINGS TO THE ANTI - LEBANON CLIFF FACE. ITS FAME GOES BACK TO THE ARAMAIC "SYRIAC" LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY JESUS CHRIST WHICH IS STILL THE LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION AMONG LOCAL PEOPLE. "MAR THECLA" THE FEMALE FIRST MARTYRESS IS BELIEVED TO BE BURIED IN THE CAVE AND THE CANYON STILL TELLS THE STORY OF HER SUFFERINGS. OPPOSITE IS "MAR SARKIS" OR "SAINT SERGIUS" WITH ITS ICONS.