I have been to Syria two times on a personal trip
and once in 2006 with a Yongo Group of 11 pax. I would rate it as one
of the friendliest countries that I have visited. Breathtaking scenery,
magnificent historical monuments and some the friendliest people in the
world await the traveller, just as they have for centuries. Between
explorations of majestic Roman archaeological ruins, such as Palmyra and
Bosra, you wander the atmospheric alleyways and labyrinthine souqs or
market of Damascus and Aleppo. You will be amazed by the great mix of
both Muslim and Christian culture and sites.
We stay in budget hotels on twin-share basis with
private bath. Its quite important participants be able to manage their
own luggage and backpacks would be the preferred type of bag. As usual,
you pay for your own meals, entrance fees and other activities. We hire
a private bus to take us from Airport to Airport. There is good
shopping in Syria. So do bring sufficient cash.
Day 0
KLIA: Assemble at KLIA 11PM 4 March 2011 Friday (no need to take annual leave)
Day 1 Beirut Lebanon:
Fly on 5 March 2011 Saturday on Emirates Airlines EK343 to Dubai at 210AM arriving 510AM (7hr). From
Dubai, we fly EK957 to Beirut 730am arriving 915am (3.5hr). We have a full
day visiting Beirut aka the Paris of the Middle East. Beirut is known for its modern buildings and one sees
numerous American influences in its fast food chains and the American
University. Overnight (ON) Beirut.
Day 2 Byblos & Qadisha Grottos: We begin the day visiting UNESCO listed Byblos and the Grottos of
Qadisha. We
return to Beirut for overnight stay.
Day 3 Baalbeck & Kracs des Chevaliers: We travel 4hr to visit Baalbeck, Lebanon's premier tourist site and a UNESCO site in the morning. We then cross the Lebanese/Syrian border and proceed to Krac de Chevalier. ON Kracs des Chevaliers.
Day 4 Ugirit Alphabets & Salah ad-Din Castle: In the monring we visit still intact Crusader's Castle. Described by TE Lawrence (of
Arabia fame) as 'the finest Crusader's castle in the world', the Krak is
one of Syria's premier attraction and a must-see.this. Then we drive on to Ugarit site, the origin of the world's earliest
alphabets and muscial notes. The Ugaritic tablets found her is a greatly simplified system
of 30 symbols, each of which represents one sound. We then move on to Saladdin Castle where we spend the night in a nearby hotel.
Day 5
Salah ad-Din Castle & Hama: We hop over to Qala'at
Salah ad-Din Castle (Saladdin Castle), an ancient Crusader's Castle,
second fiddle to Krak des Chevaliers but beautifully perched on top of a heavyily
wooded ridge with near-precipitous sides dropping away to surrounding
ravines. Built by the Crusaders, control exchanged hands a couple of
times before it was finally abandoned. Next stop is Apamea Roman City. We travel another 25km to Hama for our overnight stop.
Day 6 Sergilla Dead City & Aleppo: We spent the morning visiting the 20m giant water wheels called Norias in Hama. We then visit Sergila, one of hundreds of Dead Cities,which were former
Christian settlements producing wine before Muslim took over. Our final stop in this day is Aleppo where we will spend three nights.
Day 7 St Simeon Basilica Aleppo: We spend the most part of today visiting Locally known as Qala'at Samaan, this was a place of pilgrimage for
Byzantine Christians. The Church today it is remarkly well preserved
with Romanesque facade. ON Aleppo.
Krak des Chevaliers / Bosra Roman Amphitheatre
Day 8 Aleppo's Old Market: Unesco listed Aleppo vies with
Damascus for the title of the world's oldest continually inhabited
city. Today we spend the whole day wandering and getting "lost" in the huge
Old City souk, sharing the narrow lanes with donkeys and little Suzuki
vans. ON Aleppo.
Day 9 Rasafa Walled City & Dier Ez Zur: Our first stop is the abandoned town of Rasafa 2.5hr, which was a thriving site for Christian pilgrims. Three churches remain, the biggest being St Sergius Basilica. After that its 2hr to the town of Dier Ez Zur, a busy little market town by the historical Euphrates River. ON Dier Ez Zur.
Day 10 Desert Castle & Palmya: We visit the
8th century Qasr Al-Heir Ash-Sharqi (aka East Wall Palace), an isolated castle in the middle of a desert that once held a stategic position on the Old Silk Route. Another 120km brings us to Palymyra, Syria's prime tourist attraction and one of the most well preserve ancient Roman City in the World. The town grew around
the ruins which is just over 500m from the town centre. We will spend
the rest of the day visiting this extensive site. ON Palmyra.
Day 11 Damascus: We travel 3hr to Damascus, the capital of Syria. 3hr, Syria's prime tourist attraction and one of the most well
preserved ancient Roman city in the world (UNESCO). We will arrive with ample time to visit the Old Town.
Day 12 Bosra Roman Theatre: Its 4hours return trip to
Bosra to visit one of the best preserved Roman theatre encompassed by
an Arab fortress. This is a UNESCO listed site and was the
last stop for Muslims on their way to Mecca. ON Damascus.
Day 13 Home : We have a last day to see more of the Old Town, a UNESCO site.
Found in the old city is the Umayyad Mosque, in which is found the
mausoleum of Saladin, the greatest Muslim conquerer as well as the
shrine of John the Baptist aka the Dragon Slayer, said to contain the
biblical character's head. We transfer to the Airport for EK914 flight at 450PM to Dubai arriving at 940PM.
Day 14 Home : From Dubai EK346
departs at 405AM arriving KLIA at 255PM on 18 Mar 2011 Friday.
Souk in Aleppo / Destinations from Aleppo Bus Station
