The Levant Part 2: Syria

Getting There

There are currently three major ways to enter Syria. Overland from Lebanon is generally the preferred route. Overland from Jordan takes longer. Flying directly into Damascus now that the airport is open again, a route that requires obtaining a visa first. Also, Aleppo airport recently opened again and there are a few flights from Turkey.

The tour company we used picks people up in Beirut and drives them through border control and on to Damascus. However, members can get themselves to Damascus as they see fit and three of our members did that.

We crossed from Lebanon along with five other members of our group, being picked up along the highway. Leaving Lebanon required a border stop, payment of a small exit fee, and getting an exit stamp on our passports. It is critical to make sure they stamp the passport. One member of our group’s passport wasn’t stamped and he didn’t notice until he tried to enter Syria at its border crossing 10 km away. He had to taxi back to the Lebanese side, explain the situation, and get a stamp. It was 1-1/2 hour delay.

Visas for Syria are issued at the land border and a fee is paid, the amount depending on your nationality. Americans pay the highest, $200.

A receipt/exit paper is given and must be safeguarded as it is absolutely necessary to show when leaving the country. The visa stamp is not enough.

Being There: the environment

The weather

It’s hot, with relentless sun, even in mid-September. Every day, all day, even in the evening. Hats, sunscreen, and lots of hydration. Water is readily available everywhere…shops, kiosks, on the street, kids pulling wagons filled with bottles. About $0.80/liter.

Smoking

Almost everyone in Syria smokes, everywhere: on the streets, in shops, restaurants, hotel lobbies, on the bus, in the car. Every restaurant table and every hotel room has an ashtray. If people aren’t smoking a cigarette then they are smoking an argileh (hookah). Any restaurant will have at least a half dozen in use at the tables, with one dedicated employee who sets them up, gets the smoke started, and constantly refreshes the hot coals as they burn down. They’re especially popular with women.

The argileh emit a sweet and pleasant odor. The cigarettes are second hand smoke at its finest. It’s just something you have to accept.

The only places you don’t see people smoking are in mosques or churches.

Traffic

Cars, buses, and people negotiating around each other is a constant opening and filling of gaps. No lanes on the roads, hardly any stop lights…crossing a four car wide street requires vigilance and timing but somehow it gets done. Auto and pedestrian traffic is like a mind hive…everyone senses the movement.

Guns

There are armed soldiers at various places: entrance to the souk, street corners, near museums and the larger mosques, multiple checkpoints along the roads and highways. You do not take photos.

Money

Credit cards are not accepted in Syria except for supposedly, and very recently, a few 5 star hotels. Due to sanctions there are no ATMs. Syria is strictly a cash society and travelers must carry enough for the entire time. This may be changing.

Very few businesses will accept dollars or euros so money should be exchanged at the rate (yesterday) of 135 new Syrian pounds per $1. The largest bank note is 500 SYP so $100 is 27 of those notes. Old SYP had two additional zeros but this summer they were all removed from circulation.

US currency must be in clean condition with no tears, marks, or extreme wrinkles. We had three bills rejected when we paid our visa entry fee. $100 bills must be the newer type bills introduced as of 2013, those with the blue stripe (this includes bills dated 2009)

Internet and Mobile Line

Mobile phone and data plans are available from two providers, Syriatel and MTN. Prior to this past July only physical SIM cards were available to foreign travelers, making it impossible for Americans with newer iPhones. Now, however, eSIMS are available, though since it’s a new rollout some shops may not be able to provide them. Data packages are available in 10, 20 and even 80 GB. 20 GB cost $20. The package includes a Syrian phone number though I used WhatsApp for phone calls.

Hotel WiFi was generally slow so the mobile data was used a lot.

A VPN must be installed on phones, tablets, and computers before entering the country. Many web sites are blocked by the government and you can’t download a VPN once in country.

A battery pack is essential for the many long days and battery drain from hotspot usage.

Slightly off topic, we were able to use Type C power adapters everywhere in Syria.

Luggage

A shout-out to Jean from Idaho who posted a few years ago about using the Cotopaxi travel backpack. Because of that I bought a 35L for this trip. It was a great decision, it’s a terrific pack, easy to organize, and was so handy when jumping up onto 18” wide sidewalks to avoid cars on the narrow streets of Damascus or walking over rough cobblestone paths.

Jamelie carried an even smaller pack.

However, we purchased a lot of gifts and had to buy a small duffel to carry them home. It’s a handy size, maybe 20L, good quality, waterproof, and cost just a little over $10.

Lodging

The tour company booked all hotels.

Damascus: Via Recta Hotel. A repurposed old Damascene house, with inner courtyard, fountain, and an Iwan, a three sided elevated room with the open side facing the courtyard. Beautiful tiled floors throughout, geometric patterned wooden ceilings in the rooms, inlaid wooden furniture. Breakfast simple and typical Syrian with cheeses, Laban (yoghurt), olives, tomatoes and cucumber, pita bread, and a freshly prepared omelet.

Valley of Christians: a modern and elegant guesthouse at Jarjour winery. Breakfast in one of the stone walled tasting rooms

Aleppo: Riga Palace. A business person hotel, clean and efficient with an extensive buffet breakfast.

Tartus, on the private tour: Royal Inn. Overlooking the Corniche along the bay. Breakfast was brought out to our table, nine separate dishes, enough food for six people (there were two of us).

Latakia, on the private tour: Seaview Hotel. Another business hotel overlooking the port, modern and clean with a buffet breakfast, including ful medames (fava bean stew)

The Tour Group

The enjoyment and success of a group tour depends on many factors: the guide, the itinerary, and definitely the people. We were lucky to have a terrific group. There were four from America (including Jamelie and I), two from Germany, one from The Netherlands, one from England, one from France, and one Italian who’s family lives in Poland but is currently posted in Türkiye.

We ranged in age from 27 to 77. I won the prize for having the most years!

Food

Syrian food is seriously incredible. Being raised by a Lebanese mother and continuing those culinary traditions into adulthood, much of the food was familiar, with regional variations, but many were unique. Every single meal was memorable and we always ate too much.

Two dinners stand out.

A home cooked dinner was arranged in a private home in the Valley of Christians. This was a nostalgia meal for me with multiple plates piled high with food from my childhood. Arabic spoken around the room, laughter, a glass of Arak, the host beaming as we devoured the meal (SaHtein). This time she couldn’t really say, “but you didn’t eat anything!”, the common refrain in a Lebanese/Syrian household when the amount of food left on the table exceeds some unknowable quantity.

Aleppo cuisine is different and amazing. The most interesting single dish I ate on this trip was lahme bi karaz (meat with cherry). Ground lamb (or beef) mixed with warm spices, formed into bite-sized balls and baked or grilled, then simmered in a rich sauce of local Washneh sour cherries with cinnamon and pomegranate molasses, maybe a little sugar.

Devastation

Syria suffered through 13 years of brutal civil war (some Syrians claim it evolved into proxy wars) and few areas of the country weren’t impacted. Some tour companies focus on so-called “war tourism” or “dark tourism”. Luckily, our company does not but neither did they sugar coat it. There is devastation in many parts of the country, notably in the Damascus suburbs and in Aleppo, sometimes at the hand of Assad’s government forces, sometimes by opposition factions, sometimes by extremists. It’s reality and we made a brief context visit to one place outside of Damascus

Al Ghouta

Al Ghouta is (was) an agricultural and residential oasis surrounding Damascus consisting of several large neighborhoods. It was the site of chemical warfare and total bombing by the Assad government. It is now acres and acres of vacant bombed out concrete buildings in various stages of collapse. I had seen many pictures and videos prior to our visit but was not prepared for how extensive the destruction is. It was emotionally wrenching.

Sorry for the downer but again, it’s reality.

Highlights

Back to to the positive.

There were so many highlights on this trip I could write a short book with long paragraphs. I’ll try to offer a taste of the more memorable, with brief (maybe) descriptions and impressions.

Damascus Highlights

Ummayad Mosque

This spectacular mosque is one of the oldest and largest in the world. The site was first an Aramean temple, then a temple dedicated to Jupiter, and later a 4th century Christian Byzantine cathedral dedicated to John The Baptist.

The church was demolished by the Caliph near the beginning of Islam and the mosque was constructed over a ten year period, 705-715 CE.

Women are generally not allowed into the men’s side but as a tour group the four in our group were given permission, after renting head to toe hooded robes to wear inside.

The mosque includes a huge, maybe 6’ x 8’, copy of the Quran made of cloth, as well as the tomb of St John the Baptist, now enshrined in a structure. The story is that when the caliph’s workers were building the foundation for the mosque they discovered the remains of John the Baptist in an underground church cave. He is known in Islam as the Prophet Yahya and highly revered.

Sayyidah Ruqayya Shrine

A mosque and mausoleum complex housing the tomb of the great-granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed, who died as a young child. It is built in the Iranian style and is a revered site for Shi’ah Muslims.

The intricate and reflective mosaics, tile work, and mirrors, glass are absolutely dazzling.

House of St Ananias

The underground chapel called the House of St Ananias was used by Christians during the time of persecution. Saul of Tarsus, one of the soldiers sent to violently kill believers, lost his sight to a blinding light on the road to Damascus. Ananias restored his sight by laying of hands, Saul became a Christian as a result, and Ananias baptized him as Paul the Apostle.

National Museum

The National Museum of Damascus covers the entire range of Syrian history. Established in 1929, the front facade was moved from an 8th century Umayyad desert palace in 50,000 pieces and reassembled.

Inside is an entire intact necropolis relocated from the ruins at Palmyra, which is fortunate because the remaining tomb there was later defaced and mostly destroyed by Isis during the civil war.

Other notable places visited in Damascus

Al Azam Palace from the 18th Century Ottoman Empire
Khan As’ad Pasha Caravanserai
Al Hejaz Railway Station, providing service for pilgrims heading to Medina during their Hajj

On the Road to Palmyra

Rising out of the desert on the highway to Palmyra we see a sign on an old building that says Bagdad Cafe 66 (as in Rte 66). We have to stop!

Coffee, tea, a few gifts, lots of fossils, a “motel”, colorful carpets, Bedouin style seating on the front porch. I asked the keffiyeh wearing owner his name, he said “morning or afternoon?”. He never would tell me though he did say something about Abdullah something something in rapid fire Arabic so we couldn’t understand…might have been his morning name?

He is mostly self sufficient, growing vegetables, raises chickens and goats, makes his own laban and labneh, has a traditional oven to make bread, probably goes to a souk occasionally to buy flour, coffee, tea, and other staples.

The “toilet” is the squat style typical in the region, bring your own paper, though as always there was a faucet with flexible hose for the hand held bidet.

Palmyra

Palmyra originally was called Tadmur تدمر, the Aramean name, which many scholars agree means a place of wonder or miracles. The Greeks later named it Palmyra because of the palm trees. Tadmur is closely related to Tamr تَمر , the Arabic word for date (the fruit), so I think the name origin is questionable.

Inhabited first 2000 years BC, it flourished during the 3rd century AD under the reign of Queen Zenobia of the Palmyrene Empire. This ancient city covers 200 acres and includes four temples, the Great Colonnade, three huge arches and a Roman theater.

Isis destroyed or damaged the temples and other structures after looting what they could carry. They also defaced the nearby remaining necropolis at the site, using it as a bunker and destroying it.

Palmyra once saw 2500 visitors a day and had several 4-star hotels. Much of the archeological site (arches, columns, etc) was destroyed during the civil war but it’s still a spectacular site.

Jajour Winery

Thanks to the tour company, we stayed at the Al Mishtaya Guest House at Jarjour Winery in the Valley of Christians. We could have stayed there for days.

A winery tour, a lesson on making Arak, wine tasting. A group of musicians entertained us that night and I was finally inspired to get up and do a simple Lebanese Dabke dance. I was a little rusty but pulled it off, much to the delight of our fellow tour members. A tour friend got up to join me so I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much and managed to stumble through it.

Crac de Chevalier

This is the best preserved example of a crusader castle in the world. It dominates the landscape and its hilltop location made a formidable defensive structure. It is huge, with several distinct areas within the castle walls. Originally built in the 11th century, the structure has been inhabited first by Kurdish troops, then by an order of Knights, then conquered by Muslims in 1274. It was after this that the structure came to have its present form, with an outer wall surrounding an inner wall with a moat between and the castle itself in the middle. The most interesting structures within the castle were the Hall of the Knights and the mosque that was transformed from a church.

This castle was really exciting with arrow slits, ramparts, the moat, buttressed arches, a commanders’ tower, and an imposing presence. Walking along the ramparts was precarious.

Inscribed into one of the stone arches in the Hall was the following—in Latin on one side and French on the other—Wisdom, power and fortune, don’t let them ruin your soul.

Hama

The Orontes River begins in Lebanon and flows north through Syria as a major source of irrigation. Along the river there were once 80 norias, or wooden waterwheels, that hydraulically scoop water out of the river and up to irrigation aqueducts constructed of stone or wood. The largest still standing measures over 22 meters in diameter. In the city of Hamas there are several that still operate, though mostly for show, not for irrigation. These measure 5-12 meters in diameter.

We were fortunate to be there when the river was flowing enough for the waterwheels to operate.

Our group often gets noticed, attracting hellos, welcomes, waves, meager attempts at English but in Hama it reached another level. A policeman demanded to see our papers but once satisfied he became friendly, animated, took a picture of all of us after calling several young tourist police to get in the picture, then did a selfie with us. As we crossed the bridge we were accompanied by a whole entourage.

Aleppo Highlights

A truly grand city that was also bombed relentlessly by both the Syrian army and several opposition forces. There is a pair of large banners hanging from a tall building near the souk that says in Arabic, “They planted death. We grew life.” As is true everywhere across Syria, the people come back, rebuilding out of the destruction.

The Souk

Now this is a souk! Spice shops emanating intoxicating smells, delectable Syrian sweets, assorted nuts, handcrafted items. Colorful and busy and boisterous…and happy as this mostly destroyed ancient souk is slowly being reconstructed and brought back. “We grew life”.

Aleppo Soap

The Jebeili soap factory has been in operation for 800 years, passed down over forty generations and run by the same family. We received a tour and explanation of the process from a very enthusiastic old man. The factory was once a stable.

In a big tank 5000 liters of olive oil, anabasis (lye source) and water are cooked to 200° Celsius in December when the weather is cool. The essence of bay laurel is added and after the liquid is stirred with large paddles in the tank, it is pumped upstairs through a 100 meter hose and spread on the paper-lined floors of the hall with ancient tools.

After being allowed to harden, it takes six people to pull the cutter to shape the bars. The bars are then stamped and stacked in spiraling towers for six to nine months to dry. They must be a certain color to be ready for shipping.

We bought a lot of soap.

St Mary, Church of the Holy Belt

The Syriac Orthodox Church is one of the major denominations in Syria and this 19th century cathedral in Homs stands on the site of an underground place of worship dating back to 59 AD! Following narrow and twisting stairs hewn into the rocks takes you to the ancient Christian prayer site. The altar of the current church, St Mary, sits directly above the altar of the original chapel.

The church houses the Holy Girdle, supposedly a section of the belt worn by Mary, mother of Jesus, located in the marble shrine. There are also the remains of several saints kept in ornate silver urns.

Deir Mar Musa

Dating back to the 6th century, the Syriac Catholic monastery of St Moses is perched on a cliff and required walking up about 300 stone steps with an elevation gain of over 100 meters (325 feet)…it was 94° that day.

In the 11th and 12th centuries up to three layers of frescoes were painted on the chapel walls, with previous layers sometimes exposed and some wall portions completely peeled off.

Visitors of any faith or religious disposition can arrange to stay at the Monastery for as long as they want for spiritual reflection at no charge, though donations are appreciated.

Maaloula

Maaloula is a quiet, mostly Christian mountain village north of Damascus. Aramaic is widely spoken here, almost as much as Arabic. There are numerous churches and a few monasteries cling to the rocky mountains.

The tour was scheduled to correspond with the annual Festival of the Cross, an event celebrated across many Christian communities. It commemorates the discovery of the cross in Jerusalem by St Helena in the 4th century and its later return to Jerusalem under Emperor Heraclitus. More importantly, the festival celebrates the transformation of the cross from a symbol of execution to a symbol of hope and salvation.

In Maaloula, the festival draws people from all over Syria for a night that is prayer, singing, parades, and family celebration. We followed a large Lebanese contingent through town, into the canyons, and then climbed one of the rocky peaks several hundred feet above the town where crosses were lit, fireworks were set off, and burning rope spirals lit up the night sky.

The celebration lasted until 2:00 AM (I’m told), though we departed at 10 for Damascus.

Bosra

A small herd of camels walked across the plaza in front of us as we arrived to Bosra, an ancient city built from basalt block. It is now in ruins but walking around you can see what a huge community it was. First built by the Nabateans in the 2nd century BC, it was conquered by Romans so roads lined with broken and still-standing columns lead past the remnants of a church, a stone minaret with a winding staircase and a mosque as well as countless partial walls of homes.

The ancient mosque is still in use and the imam showing us around explained that it was originally a pagan temple. The pagan temple had a fountain and a hole in the basalt wall to tie the horse while worshipping. The site expanded to become a church during Roman times with columns to support a roof.

Later the church became a mosque so new columns were added beside the old to make the expansion. Remnants of old frescoes above the mihab ( the niche that directs prayer toward Mecca) were covered over but with time they are beginning to show through.

The Theater

Built during the Roman occupation of the area in the 2nd century CE, this is one of the largest and most well preserved of ancient theaters. Made of black basalt, it seated 15,000-17,000 people.

The stagewall is adorned with traditional Roman architecture and is so well preserved because for almost two thousand years it was almost entirely covered in sand. Long internal vaulted corridors still provide passage to the theater, with several stone platforms along the way that may have served as places for vendors. There were, and are, dressing rooms for the performers as well as storage areas. This section is more preserved and extensive than the only other theater we’ve seen of this scale, at Aspendos, Türkiye, in part because during the later Ayyubid period it became a defensive fortification and a wall was built around the theater. The theater at Aspendos does, however, have far more elaborate, covered corridors and columns at the uppermost level.

The acoustics in this theater are superb and visitors often sing from the stage and can be easily heard from even the upper tiers.

Our Lady of Sidnaya Monestary

Today we started our private tour after saying goodbye to everyone from the group.

A Greek Orthodox women’s monastery dating from the 6th century, this is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christianity, second only to Jerusalem. It is especially important to Syrians, who cannot travel to Israel.

The story is that Emperor Justinian I was out hunting deer when he had a vision of the Virgin Mary. She told him to build a church dedicated to her on that spot. He didn’t start construction until he had a second vision saying the same thing. There were several depictions of the story in the church.

Aside the main chapel is the pilgrimage shrine, called the chaagura (illustrious place) which houses an icon of St Mary attributed to St Luke, who brought it to the site. The chapel, and especially the chaagura, may be the holiest places we’ve ever visited.

In the chapel visitors are moved to sing hymns in both Arabic and Syriac. Inside the shrine visitors are praying and anointing with holy oil and a woman asked one of the nuns to pray, which we didn’t understand but was lovely to watch and hear.

The monastery is an active convent housing 39 nuns who also run a girls’ orphanage and nun school. It is revered by both Christians and Muslims.

Arwad Island

While staying in Tartus we joined many other vacationers on a short ferry ride to Syria’s only inhabited island. Ferries fill up and leave both directions every 5-10 minutes with excitement and anticipation.

The island has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and was settled in the second millennium by the Phoenicians and was the seat of power of the Arwad kingdom. Subsequent development from various empires has resulted in meandering streets passing homes and small businesses.

The central point of interest is the crusader citadel. There was a cooling breeze and families were playing in the central courtyard. After an hour of exploring the numerous chambers we sat on a bench and became the center of attention for a while after a woman from the Golan Heights shyly approached us and asked to take a selfie. Soon a half dozen more women and young men asked us the same, at first shyly but then with more confidence. I think they were fascinated by two older, gray haired Americans being there at the same time as them and wanted to commemorate. Actually, women both young and old were constantly admiring Jamelie’s gray hair as they seldom see it.

By this time our relationship with Gaby, our guide, has become more like traveling with a favorite niece who is showing us around.

Ugarit

Ugarit was an ancient Phoenician city from the 12th-13th century BC. Discovered accidentally by farmers with a shovel in the early 20th century, the huge site is only partially exposed after 50 years of work by a French archaeologist.

Intact clay tablets prove the first alphabet was developed here. Prior to this, writing was done in hieroglyphics, which required scribes to know many hundreds of characters rather than only 20-40 that can represent sounds to express language.

Inside the palace library 3000 intact clay tablets were discovered. Not only the alphabet but contracts and records of the operations of the community were recorded on these tablets.

Ugarit also had well developed systems to bring fresh water into the city and remove sewage and waste, both for humans and livestock. Sewage was removed in part through separate above-ground channels but mostly it was conveyed away from the city underground. The Phoenicians were remarkable engineers and built systems superior to those of many later civilizations.

Salah Al Din

This is another Crusader castle eventually conquered by Muslims, this time the Kurdish military commander and first sultan of Egypt and Syria, Salah Al-Din, known in the west as Saladin.

The location and site are incredibly dramatic and inaccessible, especially beginning with the obelisk that took years to excavate and served as the center support for a two-piece drawbridge to the main gate.

First construction on the citadel was done by the Byzantines, who used smaller rocks. The largest stones were used by the Crusaders. Inside the citadel there were reservoirs for water, a mosque, a chapel and evidence of plumbing.

At the lower entrance to the king’s castle we passed under a slit that rose about 10 meters above and was there to guide a dropped thick door into place to prevent entrance. Jouri, the manager of the citadel, has worked there for 25 years and is still discovering things about the site that encourage his passion. He gave us a private tour and sang for us, a surah from the Qur’an

This was our favorite Crusader castle.

Turkish Border

Our last full day we traveled north through dramatic mountains and canyons, passing through predominantly Armenian villages, until we reached the coast and border with Türkiye. A wall extends the length and during the war, if someone from the Syrian side ventured within 200’ they would be shot. Now, the rumor is you can get within 50’ before being shot. We didn’t test the theory.

A patio restaurant overlooking the blue Mediterranean, a muddy espresso, and back to Damascus.

Flight Home

We left Syria by flying Qatar Airways, through Doha. Navigating through Damascus airport required four different security checks but everyone was friendly and helpful.

Qatar Airways was terrific. Actually decent food, very friendly cabin staff, and the seats are comfortable. Didn’t need a neck pillow at all (they don’t really do much anyway).

We had a 15 hour layover so we went into Doha and got a hotel. Too tired to do much other than eat dinner, we regretted not adding a day there to explore. Next time we will.

Doha airport is big, filled with art, an indoor tropical garden, fine restaurants, and is the most efficient large airport I’ve ever been in. A single massive terminal with English speaking, uniformed personnel at every intersection and junction to guide you.

Reflections

Syrians. Strong and resilient people, warm and friendly, welcoming to visitors and proud to share their amazing country. An historical and cultural treasure built on millennia of ancient civilizations. An incredibly devout society, whether Christian, Sunni, Shi’a, or Druze.

We were honored to visit.

Thanks again for sharing! It's fascinating to hear about your experiences and the history, architecture and culture in that region!

Thank you SO much for taking the time to share your trip report to both Lebanon & Syria. It sounds like an amazing journey & it was wonderful to hear about the welcome you received.

Really fascinating! Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed report. And thanks for showing a different view of Syria than most here might think of.

Wow, it was amazing to read this- thank you so much for sharing. I remember visiting relatives back in 2010 who had recently returned from a trip to Syria and couldn't speak highly enough of what a wonderful time they had. I reflect on that often, remembering it was only a year later that war broke out and it became unsafe to travel. It's nice to hear that tourism is slowly returning and people are rebuilding. I really do hope to visit both Syria and Lebanon sometime and appreicate you sharing how you did it.

Awesome to have this report, thank you so much for sharing!