Discover Syria

✦ Why Syria? ✦

One Country… A Thousand Worlds

Imagine standing in the oldest continuously inhabited capital in history — Damascus — where St Paul walked and Saladin slept. Then in two hours you're on the Mediterranean coast swimming in turquoise waters. The next day you stand before the columns of Palmyra that tell the story of a queen who defied Rome.

Syria is the country that holds 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, over 10,000 years of continuous history, and a cuisine considered one of the richest in the world. Here the alphabet was born, the first cities were built, and humans learned farming for the first time.

But what truly makes Syria unique isn't its ancient stones — it's its people. A people who open their homes and hearts to every visitor, insisting on honouring you even if they have little. Visiting Syria is not ordinary travel — it's a human experience that changes your view of the world.

✦ Through History ✦

Among the Oldest Civilisations on Earth

Syria gave birth to civilisations that changed the course of humanity — before the Pyramids were built

Kingdom of Ebla

3000 BC

One of the oldest kingdoms in history, its clay tablets were discovered at Tell Mardikh near Idlib. It was a global trade centre controlling routes between Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Kingdom of Mari

2900 BC

On the banks of the Euphrates, Mari was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. Its royal palace housed over 300 rooms and 20,000 cuneiform tablets.

Kingdom of Ugarit

1450 BC

Invented the first alphabet in history! From Ras Shamra near Latakia, the letters that changed human history were born. Without Ugarit, writing as we know it would not exist.

Kingdom of Palmyra

1st Century AD

The kingdom of Queen Zenobia who defied Rome! A trade capital on the Silk Road, whose magnificent ruins still testify to its grandeur in the Syrian desert.

Umayyad Caliphate

661–750 AD

Damascus was the capital of the greatest Islamic empire! From the Great Umayyad Mosque to Qasr al-Hayr, the Umayyads ruled from Syria an empire stretching from Andalusia to India.

Saladin

12th Century

From the citadels of Aleppo and Damascus, Saladin led his campaigns to liberate Jerusalem. Syria was the heart of Islamic chivalry and the cradle of Arab nobility.

Did you know? Syria is where the alphabet (Ugarit), agriculture (Abu Hureyra), and the first written musical notation in history were invented? Everything you read now started here!

✦ World Heritage ✦

6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Priceless human treasures — you must see them with your own eyes

UNESCO 1979

Ancient City of Damascus

The oldest continuously inhabited capital — Umayyad Mosque, Hamidiya Souq, Straight Street, Bab Touma, Azem Palace

UNESCO 1986

Ancient City of Aleppo

The oldest formal city in history — the Citadel, al-Madina Souq (the longest covered market in the world), Church of the Forty Martyrs

UNESCO 1980

Ancient City of Bosra

The greatest surviving Roman theatre — 15,000 seats with amazing acoustics still working after 2,000 years

UNESCO 1980

Site of Palmyra

Bride of the desert and Zenobia's kingdom — Temple of Bel, Great Colonnade, theatre, Valley of the Tombs

UNESCO 2006

Krak des Chevaliers

The best-preserved Crusader castle in the world — built by the Knights Hospitaller on a hill overlooking the Homs plain

UNESCO 2006

Saladin's Castle

A military masterpiece in the Latakia mountains — its moat carved from rock is an architectural wonder

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✦ Syria's Nature ✦

From Sea to Desert in One Country

Astonishing geographic diversity — 4 seasons in one day

Mediterranean Coast

Beaches of Latakia, Tartus, and Jableh — turquoise waters, warm sunshine, and seaside resorts. From the pristine Ras al-Bassit beach to Arwad Island bay — a true coastal paradise.

Mountains & Forests

Kasab, Masyaf, Bloudan, and Slinfah — pine and cedar forests embracing the clouds. Pure air, morning mist, and stone houses among the trees. A paradise for nature lovers.

Euphrates Valley

The Euphrates River — the lifeblood that nourished the first civilisation in history. From Deir ez-Zor to Raqqa, green fields on both banks and unparalleled sunsets.

Steppe & Desert

The vast Palmyra desert — clear unpolluted skies, stars shining like diamonds at night. Bedouin tents and bitter coffee around the fire. An authentic desert experience.

Jazira Plains

Wheat and cotton plains in northeast Syria — endless fertile land. Archaeological mounds (tells) hiding forgotten civilisations. Al-Hasakah and Qamishli — peace and rural beauty.

Jabal al-Arab

The black basalt Druze Mountain — grape and apple vineyards, unique black stone villages, and Roman ruins in Shahba and Bosra. Nature unlike anywhere else in Syria.