Days 1-2:
Arrive in Damascus and transfer to your hotel.

Day 3:
Spend the Day visiting the National Museum, the Handicraft Market, St. Anania's Church and the chapel of St. Paul. Explore the Omayyad Mosque before bargaining at the old souks and khans of Damascus.

Day 4:
Drive to Shahba, the birthplace of Philip, to view ruins of a Roman theater, baths and temples and visit the local museum. Continue to Bosra, the Roman capital famous for its mosques, palaces, high columns and a magnificent amphitheater.

Day 5:
Drive to Palmyra, a vital caravan city on the old Silk Road and referred to as "the Bride of the Desert." Visit the Baal-Shamin Temple, the Arch of Triumph, the Roman amphitheater and baths, the "Street of Straight" in Christian Damascus and the Congress Council.

Day 6:
Cross the desert to Rasafa, an emerald oasis on the caravan route. Drive to the 12th-century Jaabar Citadel on the Euphrates.

Day 7:
Once an ancient trading center, Aleppo remains one of the oldest inhabited cities. Explore the many treasures from past and present including the Citadel, the National Museum and the colorful bazaars lining the narrow city streets.

Day 8:
Visit Salah El-Din's castle, located on the top of the mountain just east of Lattakia and then drive to Ugarit, the capital of the Canaanites' kingdom in the second millennium BC.

Day 9:
Drive to Apamea, visited by Cleopatra and Septimus Severus, and a center for philosophy during the Christian era. After lunch, take a walking tour of Hama, known for its successive civilizations of the Fertile Crescent.

Day 10:
Considered to be one of the most important preserved medieval military castles in the world, Crac des Chevaliers was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. Here you have the opportunity to view the few remaining examples of Crusader art before driving to the Christian village of Maaloula, whose inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus.

Day 11:
Board your onward flight.