About Syria

For many Syria is a hotbed of terrorists, but for those in the know it is a country where you will be overwhelmed by its beauty and the hospitality of its people. Rich in castles, citadels, mosques and souks, find yourself imbibing a water pipe with the locals in an open-air café, having a vigorous scrub in a hammam and indulging in a never-ending mezze meal.

Damascus, with its centrepiece golden-domed Umayyad Mosque, Ottoman mansions, palaces and citadel and medieval Aleppo, with its narrow alleyways, Christian quarter and turreted stone citadel are must sees but there is plenty more to discover.  Head into the hills for views over Damascus from Mount Kassioun, relax in the pavement cafés of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast and explore the fresco-filled churches in Homs.

Mighty crusader castles, master of all they survey from their hilltop location, tell of Syria's long history, and Crac des Chevaliers is the star of the show. The magnificent ruined desert city of Palmyra is stunning in its palm-filled setting and Bosra boasts a black basalt citadel and a vast atmospheric Roman amphitheatre which seats 15,000 people at its biannual music festival.