Introduction
Enjoy the hospitality of Syrian People wherever you go you are likely to hear the word, tafaddal or welcome. Visual art in Syria is depicted in form of architecture. Here you will find some spectacular ancient and classical sites, with relics left by the Muslim caliphs, the Romans and the Byzantines. The vestiges of Roman Palmyra are one of the Middle East's most visited site, and Syria also lays claim to the oldest continuously occupied city Damascus vies for the title with Aleppo, the Crusader castle Krak des Chevaliers and the best preserved Roman theatre in Bosra. Syria offers plenty of appealing terrain for trekking. Explore between Syria's Crusader castles or hiking the mountainous strip of land between Lebanon and Turkey. Away from the cities, the mountains are great for mountain biking. The areas around the Dead Cities, Palmyra and Krak des Chevaliers are super for cycling.

Tourist Attractions of Syria
Damascus
Damascus is Syria's largest city and capital located around the Barada River and Ghouta Oasis. It is one of world's oldest inhabited cities as old as 5000 BC. It offers fascinating oriental bazaars and marvelous monuments. The centre of the city is Martyrs' Square where most of the restaurants and hotels are located. The charming old city is surrounded by Roman wall.Visit city's main market the colourful Souq al-Hamidiyya. Opposite the end of the market is the Umayyad Mosque. It is a jewel of Islamic architecture, with several gorgeous mosaics and three original minarets. Saladin's Mausoleum built in 1193 is covered with rust red dome set in a pleasant garden over the northern wall of the Umayyad Mosque. Museum of the Arts & Popular Traditions of Syria is located in Azem Palace built in 1749 from alternating lines of black basalt and white limestone. St Paul's Chape is located in the east of the Old City. Dedicated to the saint you can see the spot at the old city gate Bab Kisan, 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 Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya designed in the Ottoman style located at the south of Barada River. The National Museum, also south of the river, is worth at least one visit for a fantastic display of exhibits including writings from the 14th century BC that use the world's first known alphabet, statuary from Mari that's over 4000 years old, two halls full of marble and terracotta statues from Palmyra, Damascene weapons, old surgical instruments from surgeons' graves, a collection of 13th century Qurans and a complete room decorated in the style of the 18th-century Azem Palace.

Aleppo
Aleppo is Syria's second largest city known as halab by the locals. It has been a trading centre since Roman times. It is a great place with its fascinating covered souqs, citadel, museum and khans (caravanserais). The citadel dominates the city at the eastern end of the souqs. A bridge on the southern side, leading to the 12th-century fortified gate, spans its moat. 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 edge of the souqs is the Great Mosque Al-Jamaa al-Kebir, with a freestanding minaret built in 1090. The city's National Museum has a fine collection of artefacts from Mari, Ebla and Ugarit.

Krak des Chevaliers
The remarkably well-preserved Krak des Chevaliers is one of Syria's prime attractions. Krac 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 2000. The castle has two parts: an outside wall with 13 towers and an inside wall and keep. The two are separated by a moat that was used to fill the baths and water the horses. Walk through the main entrance, an imposing gate in the 5m-thick thick wall and past the towers that 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 top floor of the Tower of the Daughter of the King is now a café with great views. It is possible to stay in the castle area, or you can make an easy day trip from Tartus, Homs or Hama.

Palmyra
Palmyra's ruins date from the 2nd century AD, although the city began its rise to glory under the Assyrians. 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, built by the Lebanese warlord Fakhreddine (Fakhr ad-Din al Maan II). The museum has some excellent pieces from Palmyra.

Bosra
Bosra is located on a fertile plain about 140km south of Damascus. It is a wonderful place, built in, over and around old Roman buildings. The city is made almost entirely from black basalt. It offers one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world. The theatre is particularly unusual in that it was fortified and turned into a citadel. Nine towers were raised around the building and a deep moat dug to further protect it. Inside the citadel, you can still see the magnificent 15,000-seat theatre. Among other places of interest, you can also see the ruins of a nymphaeum (public water fountain), some baths, one of the world's oldest mosques (Mosque of Omar), a 4th-century monastery and a Nabatean arch and column.

Dead Cities
Dead Cities namely Jerada, Ruweiha, Serjilla and Al-Bara are the main attractions around Aleppo. These are a series of ghost towns lie among the limestone hills between the Aleppo-Hama highway in the east and the Orontes River in the west. They date from the time when this area was part of the hinterland of the great Byzantine city of Antioch. There are some 600 sites, ranging from single monuments to whole villages complete with houses, churches, baths and even wine presses. Some of the Dead Cities form part of present-day villages with people inhabiting the ruins. Of these, Serjilla is the most eerie and most evocative - it has many semi complete buildings and although it's been deserted for 15 centuries, the stone façades are clean and sharp-edged, and the surrounding ground is covered with short grass.

Hama
Hama is one of the attractive towns between Aleppo and Damascus to explore nearby ruins. Orontes River flows through Hama with trees lined banks and gardens and ancient, groaning water wheels known as norias, measuring up to 20m (66ft) in diameter are the central attractions of the town. The wheels were built centuries ago to provide water for the town and for irrigation. The wheels and blocks on which they are mounted are wooden, and the friction between the two produces a moaning noise that pervades the air of central Hama. The norias in the middle of town are set in a lovely park, where children swim between the wheels. Other things to see in Hama include the Grand Mosque and Azem Palace of 18th century, with some interesting artifacts and a pleasant shady courtyard. Soak into the Hama's atmosphere; try the outdoor café on the banks of the river for a coffee, a nargileh (water pipe) and a game of backgammon.

Qala'at Samaan
Qala'at Samaan is must-see site of the many archaeological remnants that dot the countryside north of Aleppo. There are impressive remains of the basilica, with a glorious situation high on a rocky outcrop. You can see the excellent views from the top.