On the Mediterranean's eastern end, this once gradually liberalizing Arab country and up-and-coming travel destination possesses some gems of ancient history, including Aleppo, Palmyra, and various landmarks of Phoenician, Roman, and Crusades history. But apart from the fact that except for capital Damascus much of it has been destoyed by a decade of brutal war, we also do not encourage travel to Syria because of its dictatorship's brutal oppression of its people and support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is, however, our fervent hope is one day visitors can return to discover and explore its cultural and historic riches.

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Damascus´ Umayyad is one of ´10 of the World´s Most Magnificent Mosques´

alazaat   Also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, this is one of the world's largest and oldest, finished in 715 and named for the Ummayad Caliphate during which it was built. Also considered the fourth holiest site in the Islamic world (after the mosques of Makka/Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem), it has three high domes; three minarets; a large courtyard with several domed pavillions; and an interior adorned with marble paneling, ornate grilles, and elaborate mosaics. One interesting note:…

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Started by Tripatini
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Touring Damascus in 2019

I just came across this female European vlogger's fascinating account of a visit to Damascus. It certainly looks like a very appealing city, and underscores how little the terrible war has touched the capital. The Syrian régime is now trying to promote tourism again - but is it still a hard sell to make to most Westerners?

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Started by Max Pesling
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  • Riccardo R April 10, 2024 at 11:46pm
    Syria has a half dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, several of which are truly amazing, such as Aleppo and Palmyra. But they´ve all been on the "endangered" list since 2013, and this article takes a look at each and how it´s been affected by many years of war and other pressures: https://www.newarab.com/features/tragedy-syrian-heritage-told-throu...
    The tragedy of Syrian heritage told through six UNESCO sites
    UNESCO's response to Syria shows how cultural heritage has been politicised. Through the lens of six of Syria's most treasured sites, we're able to s…
  • Max Pesling July 1, 2023 at 7:05pm
    Let's face it: visiting this country these days is not the piece of cake it once was. But here's some great info on how to do it from a Barcelona-based travel blogger named Joan Torres, who on his site AgainsttheCompass.com specializes in some of the trickier destinations out there (and spoiler alert: you pretty much need to join some kind of group tour) https://againstthecompass.com/en/travel-syria/
  • Ahmed Abbas June 23, 2023 at 6:55pm
    Syria's news agency recently reported an amazing 40% jump in visitor arrivals in the past five months. Given the source, perhaps worth taking with a grain of salt, but there's little doubt that the country is experiencing a boom in various areas, including tourism. https://sana.sy/en/?p=310989
    Number of tourism arrivals in Syria has increased by 40 % in five months - Syrian Arab News Agency
    Damascus, SANA- Tourism arrivals in the country has increased over the past five months as compare t
  • Jordan Simon May 24, 2023 at 6:20am
    Well, Syria has been back in the news again upon being readmitted to the Arab League. And at the same time, its visitor numbers have been climbing, as this article explores in TheCradle.co, an online news outlet covering West Asia: https://thecradle.co/article-view/23694/arab-tourism-to-syria-sees-...
  • Tripatini February 11, 2023 at 11:27am
    Our profound and heartfelt condolences to the people of Syria, already suffering from the effects of a brutal civil war on the wrenching devastation wrought by this past week's catastrophic earthquake, and we urge our readers to contribute to relief efforts being coordinated by numerous aid groups around the world, to help the millions who have been ijured and made homeless in severely cold weather. You can find a list of highly rated such groups at https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/e....
    Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
    Highly rated charities providing relief and recovery in the wake of the devastating earthquakes affecting Turkey and Syria.
  • María José February 9, 2023 at 1:57pm
    Sad news from Aleppo: after reopening in 2018 following repair of damage caused by the horrendous fighting in the country, the UNESCO World Heritage Site here has suffered new damage as a result of this week's massive earthquake: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sites-damaged-unesco-turkey-...
    UNESCO site 'in danger' faces greater peril after earthquake
    The devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on Monday have damaged important historic sites, including the ancient city of Aleppo in northwest Sy…
  • Wissam Al Khoury October 29, 2022 at 12:39pm
    The Assad régime has launched a flurry of tourism development projects and promotion campaigns - including Western travel blogger/vlogge/influencerr dupes - designed to convince prospective visitors (and investors) that Syria is a safe place for a wonderful vacation. Plenty of critics aren't having it, though. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/28/whoever-...
    ‘Whoever says Syria’s safe is a liar’: country’s tourist drive at odds with human rights record | G…
    Vloggers visit the country to create audience-boosting content, but critics say they’re being cynically used by the Assad regime
  • Tripatini March 18, 2022 at 11:12am
    We do not at this time encourage travel to Syria because of its dictatorship's brutal oppression of its people and support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is, however, our fervent hope is one day visitors can return to discover and explore its cultural and historic riches.
  • Paul Varmuza November 20, 2018 at 6:49pm

    Wow, just read that Syria is starting to promote tourism again, to Damascus (with the partial reopening of its once impressive national museum), Aleppo, and Homs, hoping to attract 2 million visitors by the end of this year. Is it still too hard a sale to make?

    More info here:

    https://www.newsweek.com/syria-renowned-national-museum-reopens-gov...

    Syria's renowned national museum partially reopens as government hopes to attract millions of touri…
    Most of the museum's exhibits were removed and kept in secret locations for their protection.
  • David Paul Appell March 2, 2011 at 8:49pm
    Please click here to help a Tripatini member with a question about travel to Syria. Thanks!
    Syria and Jordan - Safe?
    Any advice about going to Syria and Jordan a month from now?
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