Syria

🇸🇾 Syria

Aleppo

Aleppo (Halab in Arabic) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — people have lived here for at least 8,000 years. Before the Syrian civil war, it was the commercial capital of Syria and one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the Middle East: the Citadel of Aleppo (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the medieval covered souks (the longest in the world), and the old city mosques and khans were extraordinary. The city suffered severe damage during the 2012–2016 battle for Aleppo but reconstruction is ongoing and some areas are accessible to visitors. This guide reflects Aleppo's historic character.

🇸🇾 Syria

Damascus

Damascus (دمشق — population 2.5 million, metropolitan area 4+ million) is the oldest continuously inhabited capital city in the world — a 4,000-year-old urban settlement that has been the political heart of some of the most important empires in the history of the Middle East: the Aramaean Kingdom, the Umayyad Caliphate (the most powerful single Islamic empire of the 7th–8th centuries — the Umayyad Mosque built 715 CE remains the most architecturally important early Islamic building in the world), the Crusader kingdom, the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin, the Mamluk Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire. The Old City of Damascus (the most completely preserved ancient urban fabric in the Arab world: a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979) contains the most important Islamic architecture in the Levant, the Street Called Straight (the most historically ancient commercial street in the world — mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles: Paul of Tarsus walked this road after his conversion), the most spectacular covered souq in the Middle East (the Souq al-Hamidiyya — the most atmospheric shopping experience in the Arab world), and the Khan Assad Basha (the most elaborately decorated caravanserai in all of the Ottoman Empire). Damascus is currently in a phase of cautious reopening to tourism; travelers should check current advisories before visiting.