History
: - Syria is a country in ruins. Historically, Syria included
Jordan, Israel and Lebanon as well as the area now known as Syria. In 1932,
Syria had its first parliamentary elections, and although the candidates had
been picked by the French, they refused to accept France's proposed
constitution for the country. In 1939, France granted Turkey the Syrian
province of Alexandretta, further sharpening feeling against the imperial
overlords. France promised independence in 1941 but didn't come through with
it until 1946.
In 1954, after several military coups, the
Ba'athist section of the army took over the country. The Ba'ath Party was
founded in 1940 by a Christian teacher and led to the formation of a United
Arab Republic with Egypt in 1958, but several people thought this wasn't
such a hot idea, and another series of military coups trundled across the
country. By 1966 the Ba'ath were back in power, but the celebrations were
curtailed by the 1967 Six Day War with Israel and the 1970 Black September
spat with Jordan.
In 1997, Syria was removed from the US list of
drug-trafficking states, while Assad moved to strengthen ties with the
fledgling EU, Turkey and the US. Attempts to diversify the oil-reliant
economy, primarily with investment in agricultural products, have had mixed
success. In early 2000, US State Department officials discussed removing
Syria from from the terrorism list, admitting that even according to US
intelligence, the country hadn't sponsored any terrorist activity since
1986. The chaotic withdrawal of Israeli troops from Southern Lebanon in May
2000, occuring under fire from the alledgedly Syrian-sponsored Hezbollah,
would have probably delayed further talks under the best of circumstances.
President Assad's death the following month added another variable to that
equation and to the future of the Middle East peace process as a whole.
Assad's son Bashar stood poised to take over the presidency as of June 2000.
Full
Country Name Syrian Arab Republic
Area - 185,180 sq km
(72,150 sq mi)
Population - 17 Million
Capital city -
Damascus ( Pop 6 million)
People - Arabs (90%), Kurds,
Armenians, Circassians, Turks
Language - Arabic, Kurdish,
Armenian, Turkish, English
Religion - 74% Sunni Muslim, 16%
other Muslim, 10% Christian
Government - Military Republic
Visa
:- All foreigners need a visa, available at consulates or in some cases
on arrival. If there is evidence of a visit to Israel in your passport, you
won't be allowed in. Tourist visas are valid for 15 days and must be used
within one month of being issued. Extensions are available.
Time :- GMT/UTC plus 2 hours
Climate
:- Spring (April to June) is the best time to visit, as temperatures are
mild and the winter rains have cleared the haze that clogs up the views
during the rest of the year. Autumn (September to November) is the next-best
choice. If you go in summer (June to August), don't be caught without a hat,
sunscreen and water bottle, especially if you're going to Palmyra or the
north-east. Winter can be downright unpleasant on the coast and in the
mountains, when temperatures drop and the rains begin.
Currency
:- Syrian Pound (£S)
Cities
- Damascus is Syria's largest city and capital. The epicentre
of Damascus' charm is its
Old City, surrounded by a Roman wall. The
city's main covered market is the
Souq al-Hamadiyyeh, a cobbled
street of bustling crowds, hawkers and high-octane haggling. Opposite the
end of the market is the
Omayyad Mosque. Built in 705 on the site of
ancient temples and a Christian cathedral, the mosque was designed to be the
greatest ever.
Saladin's Mausoleum was built in 1193 - it's
covered with a red dome and set in a pleasant garden outside the northern
wall of the Ommayad Mosque. Azem Palace, south of the mosque, was built in
1749 from alternating lines of black basalt and white limestone - it's now
home to the
Museum of the Arts & Popular Traditions of Syria. In
the Christian Quarter, in the east of the Old City, you'll find
St
Paul's Chapel, which marks the spot where the disciples lowered St Paul
out of a window one night so that he could flee the Jews.
One of
Syria's most graceful mosques is
Takiyyeh as-Sulaymaniyyeh, just
south of the Barada River. Designed in Ottoman style in 1554, it features
alternating layers of black and white stone and two slender minarets. The
National Museum, also south of the river, is worth at least one
visit.
Aleppo Known as Halab by the locals, Aleppo is Syria's second largest
city, and has been a trading centre since Roman times. The
citadel
dominates the city at the eastern end of the souqs. Its moat is spanned by a
bridge on the southern side, leading to the 12th century fortified gate.
Inside, the fort is mostly ruins, but the throne room above the entrance has
been lavishly restored. The only surviving buildings from the original
citadel are a small 12th century mosque and the 13th century great mosque.
The fabulous covered
souqs are the city's main attractions. On the
northern end of the souqs is the
Grand Mosque, with a free-standing
minaret built in 1090. The mosque has a lovely carved wooden pulpit, and if
you peer round to the left of it you may catch a glimpse of the head of John
the Baptist's father (decapitation obviously ran in the family). The city's
Archaeological Museum has a fine collection of artefacts from Mari,
Ebla and Ugarit. Most of Aleppo's places to stay and eat are slap-bang in
the centre of town.
Palmyra Palmyra's ruins date from the 2nd
century AD, There are plenty of ruins to ferret around in at Palmyra. The
Temple of Bel is a massive square courtyard. Across the road is the
Great Colonnade, an impressive column-lined street that was once the
main artery of the town. The
monumental arch that stands at one end
of it has been restored. To the south of the colonnade, the theatre
incorporates a
market place and a banqueting hall. On the hill
overlooking Palmyra is
Qala'at ibn Maan, a 17th century Arab castle.
The
museum has some excellent pieces from Palmyra and the labelling
is in English. There are a few places to stay and eat in the new town
surrounding the ruins. You can get to Palmyra from the transport crossroad
of Homs or from Damascus.
Krak des Chevaliers For once, a castle
that's not just a pile of rubble on the ground: this fabulous Crusader
castle looks almost exactly as it would have 800 years ago. Crac des
Chevaliers, guarding the only major pass between Antakya in Turkey and
Beirut in Lebanon, was built and expanded between 1150 and 1250 and
eventually housed a garrison of 4000. The castle held out against several
attacks, but was lost to Sultan Baibars in 1271.The castle has two parts: an
outside wall with 13 towers and an inside wall and keep. The two are
separated by a moat, now full of stagnant water, which was used to fill the
baths and water the horses. Walk through the main entrance, an imposing gate
in the 5m (16ft) thick wall and past the towers which defended the castle,
and you enter a courtyard. A corridor covered in delicate carvings leads to
a large vaulted hall, where you can see an old oven, a well and some
latrines. The chapel in the courtyard was converted to a mosque after Sultan
Baibar took over, and you can still see its pulpit. The top floor of the
Tower of the Daughter of the King is now a cafe with great views. It's
possible to stay in the castle area, or you can make an easy day trip from
Tartus or Hama. Bosra sits on a fertile plain littered with black basalt
about 140km (87mi) south of Damascus. It is also has one of the best
preserved
Roman theatres in the world. In amongst Bosra's shops and
houses, you can also see the ruins of a
nymphaeum, some
baths,
one of the world's oldest
mosques, a 4th century
monastery and
a
Nabatean gate. There's only one hotel in Bosra, and it's darn
pricey, but you can get a direct microbus from Damascus or Der'a.
