Syria
Asia · Damascus · SY
Syria is the ancient country of the eastern Mediterranean that sits at the crossroads of the great civilisations of the Levant, a land of the old cities, the fertile valleys and the desert caravan routes that has known the empires of the Romans, the Greeks, the Ottomans and the Arabs. It is a country of the staggering historical depth, holding the old city of the Damascus, the souks of the Aleppo, the ruins of the Palmyra and the crusader castles of the highlands, treasures that have suffered terribly in the war of the recent decade. The valleys of the Orontes and the Euphrates, the mountains of the coast and the immense desert of the east frame the battered but resilient nation, and the rebuilding and the welcome of the people give the first tentative visitors of the peace new hope. Deep, dramatic and inexhaustibly historical, Syria remains one of the great cradles of the human story.
Overview
Syria is a country in Asia. Its capital is Damascus and the international dialling code is +963. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Arabic. Local currency is the Syrian Pound (SYP). We also list 1 city in Syria: Damascus.
The Old City of the Damascus and the Great Mosque of the Umayyads
The old city of the Damascus, the inhabited antique metropolis of the world that has carried a living settlement for thousands of years, is the historic soul of the country and the setting of the great mosque of the Umayyads, one of the oldest and the most magnificent sacred buildings of the Islamic world. The courtyard of the great mosque, with its golden mosaics and the tomb of the head of the Baptist, and the narrow covered souks of the old city, with the caravanserais, the copper workshops and the perfume of the spices, carry the deep commercial and religious life of the metropolis. The houses of the old quarters, with their hidden courtyards, their fountains and their inlaid woodwork, preserve the elegance of the Damascene world, and the memory of the abbasid and the classical centuries hangs over every lane.
The Souks of the Aleppo and the Citadel of the North
The city of the Aleppo, the great trading metropolis of the north of the country that sits between the sea and the Euphrates, holds one of the most extraordinary medieval cores of the entire region, centred on the citadel on its enormous mound and the covered souks of the ancient commercial city. The citadel of the Aleppo, the fortress of the gates and the towers that rises above the city with its medieval palace and its baths, dominates the famous skyline, while the covered market streets around it, the largest of their kind, carried the trade of the silk, the soap and the spices of the centuries. The great mosque of the city, the madrasas and the hammams of the old town, together with the resilient commercial life that the war could not kill, give the Aleppo its profound and tragic historical majesty.
The Ruins of the Palmyra and the Oases of the Eastern Desert
The ancient city of the Palmyra, the great caravan metropolis of the Syrian desert that rose at the meeting of the routes of the east, is the legendary archaeological wonder of the country, its colonnaded streets, its temples and its towers of the wealthy families rising from the golden sand of the oasis. The temple of the sun god of the Bel, the great colonnade of the city and the monumental arch of the anonymous, recently recaptured from the destruction of the war years, preserve the extraordinary cosmopolitan art of the Palmyrenes, the masters who married the styles of the Roman, the Persian and the Arab worlds. The castle of the mountain above the ruins, the tombs of the valley of the necropolis and the palm groves of the oasis complete the extraordinary historical landscape of the desert citadel of the Syrian east.
The Castles of the Coast and the Mountains of the West
The mountains of the west of the country, the green ranges of the coastal highlands that rise between the Mediterranean and the interior valleys, carry the crusader castles and the ruins that mark the extraordinary medieval history of the region. The great castle of the Krak des Chevaliers, the crown of the crusader fortifications, crowns the spur of the mountains with its walls, its towers and its chapels, the finest military castle of the whole of the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. The valley of the Orontes below, with its water wheels, its villages and its ancient monastic ruins, and the green mountain roads of the region, threading the forests and the summits of the coast, complete the wild and handsome world of the western highlands of the country.
The Valley of the Euphrates and the Cities of the Desert Edge
The valley of the Euphrates, the great river of the east of the country that crosses the Syrian desert toward the border of the region, carries the dams, the lakes and the ancient cities of the far side of the nation. The ruins of the Dura-Europos on the banks of the river, the remarkable frontier city of the empires where the earliest synagogues and the churches of the world were painted, and the city of the Mari of the ancient times, together with the medieval castles of the river islands, hold the deep archaeology of the eastern provinces. The great lake of the dam of the Tabqa and the bedouin encampments of the valley complete the picture of the immense, historic, drought-struck world of the Syrian east.
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- Capital
- Damascus
- Currency
- Syrian Pound (SYP)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Calling code
- +963
- Internet TLD
- sy
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Syria.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Syria?
Damascus is the capital of Syria, and the country sits in Asia.
What currency is used in Syria?
You pay with Syrian Pound (SYP) in Syria. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Syria?
The languages we list for Syria are Arabic. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Syria?
The dialling code for Syria is +963 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Syria do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Syria: Damascus (capital).