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  #41  
Old Posted Aug 8, 2008, 5:19 PM
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really enjoying this thread!
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  #42  
Old Posted Aug 8, 2008, 7:58 PM
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This place looks exactly like I imagined it would - thanks for these truly great pics. I've always wanted to travel around the Middle East, but due to geographic problems (Israeli-born) I can only travel to these interesting places via Skyscraperpage. =)
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  #43  
Old Posted Aug 11, 2008, 9:33 PM
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To end this Damascus chapture we ride in to the Anti-Lebanonmountains to visit 2 Christian villages over there.

Some 15 % of the Syrian population is Christian.
No wonder, because this is the area where the firrt Christians lived. about 2000 years ago.

1. Ma'lula.


2. The Greek-Orthodox Church.


3. It's a popular destination for day-trippers and schools from the capital.


4. Abbey of Mar Taqla (St-Thekla), a follower of St.Paule.


5.


6.


7.


8. The Abbey of Mar Sarkus (St.Sergius),


9.


10. A schoolbus...


11.


12.


13. Another pilgrims-village: Sayidnaya


14.


15.



Next time I'll take you to Palmyra, the old Roman city in the desert. Fpor many visitors the highlight of Syria.
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  #44  
Old Posted Aug 11, 2008, 10:26 PM
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Awesome, I really hope I get to travel the Middle East at some point.
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  #45  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2008, 5:36 AM
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Beautiful Beautiful photography i was there for a month but that was back in 94 .... the amount of smoke and pollution was unbareable ... i fell sick for a 2 weeks because of it .... Dont know if things have improved all these years later.
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  #46  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2008, 7:03 AM
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Wow, I'd love to go to Damascus, what a city!! Great thread, amazing photos! In particular I like these pics:



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  #47  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2008, 8:20 PM
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Thanks for all the nice comments!

Quote:
Originally Posted by GO_UAE View Post
i was there for a month but that was back in 94 .... the amount of smoke and pollution was unbareable ... i fell sick for a 2 weeks because of it .... Dont know if things have improved all these years later.
Nothing changed yet... As usual in such cities I had problems with my lungs In Damascus I forgot to take my anti-allergic pills...
Man, it's like the air of hell you're inhaling...
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  #48  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2008, 8:31 PM
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who knew damascus had chicken buses.
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  #49  
Old Posted Aug 14, 2008, 10:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMancuso View Post
who knew damascus had chicken buses.
And they are even more comfortable than the latino versions we drove ones...

Anyway, we take a normal Kadmousbus to one of the highlights of Syria: the magic desert town of Palmyra.

Quote:
Wikipedia: Palmyra was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. It has long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert and was known as the Bride of the Desert. The earliest documented reference to the city by its pre-Semitic name Tadmor, is recorded in Babylonian tablets found in Mari. Though the ancient site fell into disuse after the 16th century, it is still known as Tadmor in Arabic, and there is a small newer settlement next to the ruins of the same name. The Palmyrenes constructed a series of large-scale monuments containing funerary art such as limestone slabs with human busts representing the deceased.

1. Tadmur.


2. The 16th century citadel Qal'at Ibn Ma'an


3. Views from the Citadel.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


13. Temple of Bel.


14.


15.


16.


17. More 'chicken-buses'...


18.


19.


20. The Tetrapylon


21. Theatre


22.


23.


24.


25. The Necropolis.


26.


27.
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  #50  
Old Posted Aug 15, 2008, 7:58 AM
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More Palmyra:

28. Temple of Bel as seen from the citadel.


29. More temple of Bel.


30.


31.


32.


33.


34.


35.


36. Temple of Baal Shamin.


37.


38.


39. Monumental Gateway.


40. The Great Colonnade.


41.


42. Theatre.


43.


44. Funerary temple.


45.


46.


That's all for Palmyra.
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  #51  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2008, 6:49 PM
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Hama

Next city: Hama.

Quote:
Its population numbers 410,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth-largest city in Syria.

The city proper is renowned for its 17 norias used for watering the gardens, which — it is claimed — date back to 1100 BC.

Political insurgency by Islamic groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood beginning in the early 1980s culminated in an uprising in February, 1982. Government forces led by the president's brother, Rifaat al-Assad, quelled the revolt, but killed thousands of civilians and destroyed much of the old part of the city in the process. The town was shelled by the Syrian military, and the estimated deaths numbered more than 20,000 and may have been as high as 30,000 or 40,000, a big portion of them were women and children.

(Wikipedia)
1. The rebuilt old city.


2. Noria's on the Orontos river.


3.


4.


5.


6. Palace of Bayt Al-Azum (white dome on the left)


7. Al-Izzi mosque (15th century)


8.


9.


10.


11. The 19th century Clock Tower.


12.


13.


14.


15.


16.


17.


18.


19. The souqs


20.


21. Hama by sunset.


22.


23.


24. Big Assad is watching you!
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  #52  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2008, 2:05 AM
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Excellent photos. . .
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  #53  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2008, 9:30 PM
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Very nice , excellent images.
Do you know that Damascus is the oldest capital in the world? and probably the first continuously inhabited city in the world.
The city of Malula shown some where above is the only city in the world who speaks the language of Jesus christ.
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  #54  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2008, 2:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aadesign View Post
Do you know that Damascus is the oldest capital in the world? and probably the first continuously inhabited city in the world.
Yes indeed. That's what makes Damascus such a fascinating city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aadesign View Post
The city of Malula shown some where above is the only city in the world who speaks the language of Jesus christ.
We heard a prayer in that Aramaic language from a monk in the church of the Saint-George monestary.

I'll try to post some more pics from Syria soon.
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  #55  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2008, 2:38 PM
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Some fascinating shots there.
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  #56  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 8:24 PM
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Public transport between the cities is well organised. But to reach outlaying historical sites it's easier and faster to take one of the many cheap taxi's around the country,
Me and my family did it in style and chartered Hassan and his 1952 Pontiac for some days. It costs us some 35euro/50USD per day, fuel and driver included!

1.


2. First stop, dusty Masyaf, 50 kilometer west of Hama.



Quote:
Masyaf castle dates back to the Byzantine era. It served to protect the trade routes to cities further inland such as Banyas. The castle itself stands about 20 meters above the surrounding plain.

Evidence suggests that the lower layers and foundations of the castle are of Byzantine origin. Later levels were added by the Nizari Ismailis, Mamluks, and Ottomans. Masyaf and the surrounding town functioned as the capital of a Nizari emirate from the middle of the 12th century until the end of the 13th century. Saladin besieged it in May of 1176 but the siege did not last long and it concluded with a truce. Current research indicates it was held by the Assassins at that time.
Restoration funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Programme began in 2000. (Wikipedia)
3.


4.


5.


6.


7. We continue in the direction of the Libanese frontier.


8. And we pass the Monestery of Saint George.


9.


10. But the final destination of this day is the famous Krak des Chevaliers!


Quote:
Krak des Chevaliers is a Crusader fortress in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval military castles in the world. In Arabic, the fortress is called Qal'at al-Ḥiṣn (Arabic: قلعة الحصن‎), the word Krak coming from the Syriac karak, meaning fortress. It is located 65 km west of the city of Homs, close to the border of Lebanon.
Krak des Chevaliers was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. It was expanded between 1150 and 1250 and eventually housed a garrison of 2,000. The inner curtain wall is up to 100 feet thick at the base on the south side, with seven guard towers 30 feet in diameter.(Wikipedia)
11.


12.


13.


14.



15.


16.


17. The day after we're heading north.


18. In the direction of Apamea, the western counterpart of Palmyra.


19.


Quote:
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. Its site is found about 55 km to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley. It was fortified and enlarged by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC, who so named it after his Bactrian wife, Apama. In pursuance of his policy of Hellenizing Syria, it bore the Macedonian name of Pella. The fortress was placed upon a hill; the windings of the Orontes, with the lake and marshes, gave it a peninsular form, whence its other name of Cherronêsos. Seleucus had his commissariat there, 500 elephants, with 30,000 mares, and 300 stallions. The pretender, Diodotus Tryphon, made Apamea the basis of his operations. Located at a strategic crossroads for Eastern commerce, the city flourished to the extent that its population eventually numbered half a million. It was one of the four cities of the Syrian tetrapolis. (Wikipedia)
20. Highstreet once was 2,5 kilometer long!


21.


22.


23.


24.


25. Once a metropolis, now a simple village...


To be continued....to the Cities of the Dead!....
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  #57  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 12:02 PM
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this is such an awesome thread - beautiful photos of amazing places - what more could one ask for!!!
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  #58  
Old Posted Sep 20, 2008, 2:25 PM
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^^ Thanks a lot! I hope to please you with some Aleppo-pictures next week.
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  #59  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2008, 10:34 PM
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Wow, I'm so glad I clicked on this thread. Wonderful pics. I feel like I'm getting a persnal tour of Syria from the national Geographic magazine. Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us.
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  #60  
Old Posted Sep 26, 2008, 1:33 AM
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Very neat indeed! Such a dry place, was it hot?
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