SYRIA
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Capital | Damascus |
| Area | 185.180 km² |
| Population | 18,244,381 (2021) |
| Currency | Syrian pound (SYP) |
| Web | .sy |
| Code. | SYR |
| Tel. | +963 |
Cities in SYRIA
| Damascus |
Vacations and Sightseeing
Syria is currently one of the least likely destinations for a holiday. Please consult the advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But for better times, here is a short list of the sights of Syria.
Damascus is the capital of Syria and you can see the following buildings there. The Byzantine Arcade is a remnant of the Temple of Jupiter, which was built during the Roman Empire. Today the square is used by the locals as a market place.
The Ummayyad Mosque stands across from the Byzantine Arcade and is known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus. This ancient structure was originally built by the Roman Emperor Constantinople I to honour St. John the Baptist, an important religious figure in both Islam and Christianity. Inside the mosque you will see a shrine said to contain the head of John the Baptist.
The Old Town is a walled city where you can see old buildings, houses and ancient walls that were built on during the creation of the city. The Hejaz railway station is one of the most visited places in Damascus. The building was constructed during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Here you will find beautifully painted walls and ceilings decorated with stained glass windows. See also the Damascus page.
The ancient ruins of Palmyra lie in an oasis in the Syrian desert. The ancient city fell into disuse from the year 1500 onwards. Although much of ancient Palmyra lies in ruins, a number of magnificent structures have survived over the centuries. The most famous Palmyrian monument is the Temple of Baal-Shamin, which was considered the most important religious building in the Middle East from the first century AD. It was originally a Hellenistic temple, of which only a few fragments remain. The temple has a central sanctuary with Corinthian columns. While exploring the temple, visitors should definitely take a look at the temple's lintels with fine carvings. From the temple, you can walk along the Great Colonnade, which was originally a mile long and consisted of approximately 1,500 Corinthian columns. On one side of the colonnade, visitors can admire the richly decorated monumental arch of Palmyra. The agora, the theatre, and the house of the Senate stand at the southern end of the colonnade. Tourists can also visit the Valley of the Tombs, which consists of a series of large-scale funerary monuments and tombs.
Sources
Elmar Landeninformatie
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
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