Damascus

I’m going back to Damascus on a business trip for a week. Like last time (I’ve been there in march 08), I have no time to go arround much.
but what I really want to do, is to find time to visit the places on the UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List in Syria.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

One of the most wonderful cities in the world. You can hear the history breathing, for real. The whole city is full with historical sites. People are very nice and friendly. Food, oh God the food, amazing food. I have to admit, I gained 17 pounds from this trip. You just can’t stop eating. Very safe city though, even at night. Stayed in a nice small hotel and the service was great. Very cheap transportation. The old city is amazing, you can spend days walking the narrow streets and visiting places and shops.

I went to visit Syria with not many expectation except that the people I was told were very friendly. I loved everything about it, the people, the narrow streets, the souqs, the art, the history. Amazing! What I loved the most is the tolerance and harmony displayed by Syrians. I recommend to all. Would love to visit again. We stayed in a Hotel in the old, right in the middle of all the action. It was also a conversion of an old style Syrian house. The interiors, gardens were an art form in themselves.

My favorite city. I was born in damascus but still i haven’t seen anything like it! love it.

History (civilization & christianity) galore, inexpensive, beauty (not just in the beholder’s eyes), Party at the hotels ‘discos’, good weather specially in spring & fall, Food Food & more food! -try the new restaurants in the old part of the city (converted gorgeous cenury-old houses, maybe older) also the restaurants outside the city (at the safir hotel in Ma’aloula, Sheraton Ma’aret sednaya) shop till you drop withour dropping all your money! handmade everything! (try the official ‘souk al-m’han al-yadaouieh=hand made products market) near the national musuem.must go to Hamidieh (old bazaar) and please go to Bakdash and eat the best Pistachio/vanilla ice cream on the planet..

I got chance to visit Syria. it is very historical place. There is monuments from byzanties and also it is so important place in Islam history . it is easy to travel in syria and despite of common though it very safe place. the crime level is very low.

and i go every other year and i am super excited to see all my family again this summer!!! I LOVE SHAM AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

Well we’ve made our way to Damascus in southern Syria. Our time in Aleppo was fantastic! We explored the old city and the souk (the oldest in the world) which was amazing and not for the toursits at all. We had falafel for lunch from a vendor which cost 25p for the two of us…. bargain! We also went into a Hamma which is a Turkish bath and they can be found all over the middle east. From Aleppo we headed to Hama where there are ancient water wheels from 6th Century and the Ottomans. They were huge and still in operation! We then went to Crac de Chevalier which was most unexpected. Its where Richard the Lionheart and the knights were and its been used as an active castle for 900 years up until the 1950’s. Its so well preserved and enormous. From there we took a long drive to Palmyra. Again we didnt know what to expect. We ended up in the desert which seemed to go on endlessly! The Roman ruins were gob smaking, the citadel is virtually intact and there are still hundreds of pillars and you can even make out shop fronts along the long street and the theatre. Much of it dates back to 200/300 BC and it is very well preserved. We were there at sunset and got loads of fab photos. From there we went to our camp in the desert. It was very rocky and we camped against a mountain. Kathy was on cook duty and her team rustled up lamb hot pot and baked bananas in the desert for 15 people in the dark. Sharon did her special of making boil in the bag chocolate cake which was just what the doctor ordered. Plus it was Rick’s birthday – what a night to remember. We bedded down quite early and slept under the stars. It was amazing to work out what all the constellations are. The only problem was the wind, it was blowing straight down the mountain and blowing sand and grit into our sleeping bags. Going to the toilet was interesting – we had to crouch in the dark with the wind whistling between our legs :-) In bed, we all ended up hibernating into our sleeping bags with a small hole to breathe. We slept on and off and heard the 5am call to prayer and was awake for the sun rise at about 6am. We then packed up and got onto the road for Damascus. The desert camp was 155km from Damascus but only 150km to Iraq! Maybe next time we are in the area we will be able to go to Iraq! We arrived in Damascus at lunchtime and put up our tents in the municipal camping ground – where there is decent grass, clean squat toilets and fantastic cold showers. Much improved on last night’s facilities! Going to walk around the city for a bit longer, before heading back by cab for an early night. Hopefully we will get more sleep tonight.
More information: www.KSrtw.com

This is where I’m originally from, but I’ve been always on travel all my life, I lived in this place continuously for 9 years specifically 1992-2000. I went to Damascus University to get my BS in Civil Engineering where I had an amazing college life in Damascus city, old Damascus, Mazzeh, Mhajreen, Demar.
my first love is in sham and I love this city, weather is nice but it get hot in the summer time and very cold in the winter. The water “fejeh” is the best water you can get from the tap all year long. The food is great, people are friendly and simple. Ladies are very beautiful and I wish I can go back one day.

Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city’s history. Since the city has been built up with every passing occupation, it has become almost impossible to excavate all the ruins of Damascus that lie up to 8 feet below the modern level. The Citadel of Damascus is located in the northwest corner of the Old City. The street called straight (referred to in the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9:11), also known as the Via Recta, was the cardo (main street) of Roman Damascus, and extended for over 1500 meters. Today, it consists of the street of Bab Sharqi and the Souk Medhat Pasha, a covered market. The Bab Sharqi street is filled with small shops and leads to the old Christian quarter of Bab Touma (St. Thomas’s Gate). Souq Medhat Pasha is also a main market in Damascus and was named after Medhat Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Damascus who renovated the Souq. At the end of the Bab Sharqi street, one reaches the House of Ananias, an underground chapel that was the cellar of Ananias’s house.

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, is one of the largest mosques in the world, and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist.