Excursions

Damascus

Start with a sample of Syria`s historical treasures at the National Museum, proceed to the Ottoman mosque, the Tekkiyeh Sulimaniyeh, browse shops at the adjacent Handicrafts Market. Enter the ancient walled city via the celebrated Souq Al Hamidiyeh, followed by stops at the regal ’Azem Palace’ of the Ottoman governor, the Khan Assad Pasha, and the Dahdah Palace. Visit Islam`s fourth holiest site, the Ummayad Mosque, and the mausoleum of Saladin, nemesis of the Crusaders. Traverse the biblical Street Called Straight` to the Christian quarter of Bab Touma, home to St. Paul`s Window and the St. Ananias Chapel. At sunset, drive up to Mount Qassioun for a panoramic view of Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

Palmyra

Traverse the desert highway to the magnificent Roman oasis city of Palmyra, home of Zenobia, the ambitious Queen who challenged Rome. After visiting the Palmyra Museum, explore its ruins: the Triumphal Arch, Colonnaded Street, Funerary Towers and Underground Tombs, and the colossal Temple of Bel. Then ascend the mountain to Ibn Maan castle for a spectacular sunset view of the ruins below.

Maalula & Krak des Chevaliers

Wind through the Anti Lebanon Mountains to the picturesque hamlet of Maalula, where the inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. Visit the monasteries of St. Thekla and St. Sergius, then continue via Homs to the Krac des Chevaliers, the most spectacular and best - preserved crusader castle in medieval christendom.

Hama & Apamea

Enter the Orontes River valley to the ruins of the Hellenistic city of Apamea for a walk along the Cardo Maximus, the main street marked by two kilometres of magnificent spired columns. Continue to the Orontes’s banks to the city of Hama, adorned by its enormous wooden ’Norias’ or waterwheels, which have creaked and churned in the Orontes channels since Roman times. Visit the twisting alleyways of Hama`s charming old city, and the famous Al-Nuri Mosque.

Saidnaya & Maalula

Head into the Anti Lebanon mountains to the Convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya, built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian after a miraculous vision of the Virgin Mary. The convent today welcomes pilgrims from various Eastern Christian sects, and houses an icon purportedly painted by St. Luke. Then continue to Maalula, where the inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ, for visits to the monasteries of St. Thekla and St. Sergius.

Bosra & Shahba

Head south to the region known to the Romans as the Province of Arabia, starting with its capital, Bosra, the ancient city built entirely of black basalt stone. Visit its Cathedral, the Grand Mosque, and its Roman amphitheatre, the best-preserved in the entire Mediterranean world. Continue to neighboring Qanawat, with its oak grove and Roman basilicas, Shahba, home of the Roman Emperor Philip the Arab, and Suweida, famous for its museum which contains one of the finest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

Sayida Zainab Shrine & Quneitra

Visit the holy mosque and shrine of Sayida Zainab, magnificently decorated in Persian style with gold and tile mosaic, and host to thousands of Shi`ite Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Continue southward to the Golan Heights city of Quneitra for a poignant reminder of the city`s destruction by the Israeli army in 1967.

Maalula & Deir Mar Musa Monastery

Drive to Maalula, where the inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ, to visit the monasteries of St. Thekla and St. Sergius. Descend deeper into the Anti-Lebanon valley to the secluded monastery of Deir Mar Mousa, a living monastic community revived by the Italian Jesuit Father Paolo dell`Oglio. View frescoes dating back to the seventh century, sample the locally produced cheeses, and behold the spectacular views across the harsh desert valley below.

Baalbek & Anjar

Cross the mountainous Syrian-Lebanese border into Lebanon`s fertile Bekaa valley for visit of the fortified city of Anjar, built in the early 8TH century by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid. Then follow the valley north to Baalbek, one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Roman architecture in the world, for visits of its three massive temples dedicated to the gods Jupiter, Bacchus and Venus.;