Syria with its small mediterranean coastline, surrounded by Turkey, Irak, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon, is the location of Advanced Civilisations between the Mediterranean and the Arabian Desert: The craddle of our culture.
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The graves of the noble prople.
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Palmyra, the town of Zenobia, isn't to describe. She lies in all her greatness and beauty in the sun light as 2000 years ago, when it was an important station for the carawanes, travelling between the Mediterranean and the countries of Mesopotamia and Arabia, a link of the silk road from China and India to Europe. In the Valley of the tombs you find the towers, constructed as multistory burial chambers, a business, as the Hypogeum of the Three Brothers proves. You enter the town by way of the Hadrian Gate, walk along the cardo, decorated with high columns, pass the tetrapylon to the agora with the house of the senat, see the Diocletian Bath and the theater, until you try to get an overview of the town and the camp of Diocletian from the height of a camel. But the description is imperfect. It is the sun light, which revives the old destroyed town, built in pink sandstone, as if it still were ínhabitated. When you look down on the town and its environment from the Qala'at ibn Maan, the Arabic castle, it seems to be nearly incomprehensible that such a town could come into being in this forlorn landscape, gray-brown and depressing as far as you can see.
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Favourite spots: |
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And underneath the graves of their servants.
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Halabiya, East of Palmyra, founded by Zenobia, the rebellious ruler of Palmyra, who even took on Rome, is another town, fortified as protection against Persian invasions. She must have been beautiful as Cleopatra, but surpassed her in chastidy and value, lovely and heroic of character, of dark complexion with pearl white teeth and large black eyes, charming, with a strong, but harmonious voice, of manly understanding and great learning (E.Gibson). - The Hellenistic Dura Europos, high above the Euphrat, with its numerous temples, church and synagogue, gives evidence of its admirablly cultural and religious pluralism and rewrites the history of the early Christian and Jewish iconography, because of the unusual mural paintings from the synagogue, pictorial representation of events of the Old Testament, to be seen in the Museum of Damascus.
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What's really great: |
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And our guide took over the kitchen.
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5000 years of human effort shows Mari, 10 kilometres afar from the quiet border of Iraq, a Mesopotamian city state, in former times not only a center of commerce, controlling the trade routes from the Mediterranean to Mesopotamia, but also a center of erudition as the library with its thoussands of clay tablets shows. - Walking the suspension bridge from the 19th century in Deir-Azzor, the stroller enjoys the calmness of the riverscape of the Euphrat, forgetting the day’s unrest.
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Accommodations: |
Villa Palmyra, Sharia al-Quwatli, Palmyra, Tel.: 00963-31-910156 Fax: 031-912554 in walking distance of the Plalyra Museum centrally situated at the Sharia al-Quwatli, a real tourist-shopping-restaurants-street. The room was small as was the bathroom, but perfectly clean, the food was good.
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Other recommendations: |
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In this café beside two small beehive house the young sons of the owner served delicious tea.
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In the midst of the steppe, the boundary of formed by rigdes far away, at the crossing of the road to Bagdad and Damascus, you find the Bagdad Cafè, a low, friendly building with an adjoining pergola. The windmill fills the amphorae with water, two beehive houses are in the yard. Sheep graze nearby, the riches of the family, because one sheep cost 100.- Euro. There are also chicken, more possibility to earn a livelihood are not to be seen. The young men who serve the tee, are polite and shy. The room is decorated with small, helpless embroideries, waiting to be bought. A red scarf with yellow pearls catches the eye.
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Published on Tuesday January 25th, 2005
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Sun, Jun 13 2010 - 03:03 AM
by xolar
An interesting report, especially since I am going there :)
-Andrew |
Thu, Jan 11 2007 - 04:22 PM
by eirekay
Christl, I would have never thought of going to Syria before you posted your recent pictures. This terrific report convinces me that this is a destination I should consider! Great Report! |
Tue, Jan 25 2005 - 01:50 PM
by picasso
Pretty good report,with images would be much better.
Boris |
Tue, Jan 25 2005 - 11:14 AM
by davidx
Really interesting - with good pics would be wort 5 |
Tue, Jan 25 2005 - 11:09 AM
by britman
Nice report needs pictures. |
Tue, Jan 25 2005 - 10:23 AM
by johnnye00
Fascinating place, too bad there are not pictures. |
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