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11 Days Syrian Highlights Tour Package This is a slightly abbreviated version of our longer SY1 trip, designed to precede our tours of Jordan and Israel for a longer regional odyssey. Syria offers not only antiquity that is important to Islam, such as the Great Ommaya Mosque, but also antiquity that is important to Christianity and elements of Geek Mythology. Walk through the Christian quarter of Damascus, an area that played an pivotal role in Biblical times, and listen to some of the residents speak the ancient language of Aramaic; the language of Jesus Christ. The Azem Palace of the Ottoman governor of the 18th and 19th centuries still stands in all its glory. We won't be spend all of our time emerged in the past; we will see the busy markets where local tribes converge to sell food and livestock. Coming to face-to-face with the vibrancy of the Syrian people gives us a better understanding of the civilisation that currently lives in that large and once-mysterious area. Tour Itinerary Day 1 Arrive in Damascus Today we arrive in Damascus, Syria, and transfer to our hotel. Damascus is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, and reports run back at least 3,500 years. Many claim that Damascus is THE oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. While modern Damascus is a standard Middle Eastern city, it was famous for centuries, and often referred to as the "Pearl of the East". Overnight in Damascus. Dinner if required. Day 2 Damascus - Maloula - Palmyra Travelling northward today, we arrive first at Maloula, where we visit one of the oldest churches in the world, the Church of Saint Sergis. Here we can see how a Christian altar table has been adapted from a pagan sacrificial stone, and perhaps hear the priest recite some of the liturgy in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, which today is spoken in only three places on earth. The people of Maloula, most of whom are Syrian Christians, still speak Aramaic among themselves. Late this afternoon we travel into the Syrian Desert and arrive at Palmyra. Overnight in Palmyra. Breakfast and dinner. Day 3 Palmyra: Area Tour Today we have a full day in Palmyra and the desert oasis in which it is situated. We will visit the spectacular Archaeological Museum where we will see a well preserved collection of statuary from the Palmyra site, as well as collections from prehistoric Palmyra. We will visit the necropolis, comprised of multi-storey tombs that were rented out rather than sold. The builders of the tombs themselves become rich through the rent they collected. In the afternoon, you may wish to walk through the oasis with its palm and olive groves and its gardens separated by irrigation canals. In the evening the small town of Tadmor is busy with locals and visitors. Overnight in Palmyra. Breakfast and dinner. Day 4 Palmyra - Homs - Apamea - Aleppo Arriving in Hama, we view a unique and lovely example of ancient engineering: the great Noria water wheels, first constructed in Roman times, which still turn and groan under the power of the Orontes River, delivering water to the fields around the town. Still in Hama we visit the 18th century inn that now houses the local museum. North of Hama, in the heart of the Orontes Valley, we visit the impressive second century BC ruins of the Roman city of Apamea. This huge site was once a city of one-half million inhabitants which was visited by Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. The focus of the site is the long double row of fluted columns rising from the surrounding fields. The museum near the site contains several beautiful and extensive mosaics. Above the Roman site stands the thirteenth century Arab castle of Qala'at al-Mudiq. We arrive in Aleppo in the early evening. Overnight in Aleppo. Breakfast and dinner. Day 5 Aleppo: City Tour Today we explore the city of Aleppo, beginning with a visit to the Citadel, situated on an eminence at the centre of the city. In the past anyone who took control of the citadel took control of Aleppo, and it's easy to see why. During the time of Saladin, the walled fortress we see today was given its present shape. This afternoon, you may wish to make your own explorations or join your Tour Leader on a tour of the Grand Bazaar. It is often said that if you did not get lost in the market then you have not seen it! You will find for sale Bedouin goat hair tents, felt shepherds' coats lined with sheepskin, Bedouin carpets and headscarves amidst a tumult of activity. The bazaar has a real "Thousand and One Nights" atmosphere with narrow, cobbled streets lined with vendors of every kind. The market is particularly famous its gold and silver items. Overnight in Aleppo. Breakfast and dinner. Day 6 Aleppo - St Simeon's Monastery - Aleppo From our base in Aleppo, we journey into the countryside to visit the monastery of St Simeon, where the famous anchorite spent 42 years in meditation atop a pillar in the fifth century. Here we visit the basilica which represents one of the most graceful and important examples of early Byzantine architecture. From this spot, we have lovely views over the landscape of northern Syria and into Turkey. We will stop to see a beautifully preserved section of Roman road. In this area there are many Byzantine "Dead Cities" whose populations were devastated by the Black Death brought via the Silk Road in the Middle Ages. Today they stand as empty testaments to the advantages and pit-falls of living from trade. Returning to Aleppo city, we tour the museum with its excellent collection of artifacts from the period of the great Mesopotamian kingdoms, including the water-bearer statue from Mari and some excellent cuneiform tablets from Elba. Overnight in Aleppo. Breakfast and dinner. Day 7 Aleppo - Saladin's Castle - Safita From Aleppo we cross the coastal mountains, a lovely area famous for its fruit orchards. We take a spectacular mountain road up to the dramatic ruins of Saladin's castle, a crusader fortress situated above a breathtaking pine-covered ravine. Before reaching the Mediterranean coast we visit Ugarit, the Phoenician trading city where the world's oldest known alphabet was discovered. We arrive this evening at Safita, situated on the coast. Overnight in Safita. Breakfast and dinner. Day 8 Safita - Crak de Chevaliers - Damascus From Safita we make our way to Crak de Chevaliers, situated at a strategic break in the coastal mountain chain. This huge castle stands guard over the valley pass below, controlling the route from the Mediterranean coast through the mountains to Damascus and the interior of the Levant. It was considered by Lawrence of Arabia to be the most perfect castle in the world, a splendid place to gain a sense of how these medieval adventurers lived in their kingdom of Outremar--"the land across the sea." We visit the great hall, kitchens, chapel (later converted to a mosque when Muslim forces won this redoubtable stronghold) and walk along the extensive ramparts. From Crak de Chevaliers we drive to Damascus. Overnight in Damascus. Breakfast and dinner. Day 9 Damascus: Great Ommayad Mosque & Azem Palace Today we walk within the old city, surrounded by an ancient wall which originally had seven gates named in Roman times after the stars that made up the constellation of the Seven Sisters. We see the remains of the massive Roman Temple of Jupiter, walk through the absorbing Hamadieh Market, and visit the Great Ommayad Mosque, one of the first great mosques of the Muslim world built in AD 718 by the Caliph el-Walid. After a visit to Saladin's tomb, we continue to a visit of the lovely Azem Palace, seat of the Ottoman governor during the 18th and 19th centuries. In its airy courts, we can imagine the Ottoman ruler savouring a warm Damascene evening, looking up at the three minarets of the great mosque illuminated by a full summer moon. The Azem Palace is today an ethnographic museum displaying the costumes of the different classes of Syrian society in the different parts of this varied country. You will have some free time later in the afternoon for shopping or exploring on your own. Overnight in Damascus. Breakfast and dinner. Day 10 Damascus: National Museum & Christian Quarter This morning we visit the immense National Museum with its monumental gateway transported from an Umayyad (Ommayad) fortress in the Syrian Desert. The collections in the museum span a period of over 9,000 years and include the brightly-painted frescoes from one of the oldest synagogues in the world. At the Takiyyeh as-Sulaymaniyyeh we see a beautiful Turkish mosque built in 1554. Next to the mosque is a Sixteenth Century Ottoman caravanserai which has been converted into a handicraft centre where you can see traditional Syrian handicrafts being made and sold. In the afternoon we will enter the Christian quarter to walk along the Street Called Straight (mentioned in the Bible). Near the great gate, Bab as-Sharqi, we visit the Chapel of Ananias where St Paul hid after his conversion to Christianity. This afternoon is free for you to explore old Damascus. This evening we finish our day by driving up to Mount Kassioun for a view over all Damascus Overnight in Damascus. Breakfast and dinner. Day 11 Departure Departure from Damascus. Breakfast. BON VOYAGE! Save time, money and stress! For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our Syria vacation specialist. Contact : Travelwizard.com Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252 10/09 |
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