Syria is a country that suffers in the media. There is some justification for this, considering the regimes that have been in power are far from democratic and have suppressed freedoms both at home and abroad. The country is not just the regime in power and there is a lot to see there and the people were generally very hospitable.
There are a number of archeological sites to visit in the country such as the Roman colonnades at Apamea (photo 1). There is also the ancient remains of Palmyra (photos 2 & 3) which is in real need of responsible restoration. The theatre in Palmyra was totally remade which may not be what archeologists generally regard as restoration, but it does make it easier to envisage how these things really were.
The ruins of Qasr Ibn Wardn are also interesting.
T.E. Lawrence described Krak des Chevaliers as 'the greatest castle ever built'. He knew quite a bit about castles having written about them and it is great fun exploring the massive place, trying to find all the nooks and crannies. It was never breached during The Crusades. At the end of The Crusades the soldiers still safe inside negotiated safe passage back to Christendom in return for surrendering the castle. It is estimated they could have withstood a siege for another five years.
These Bedouin mud homes are often called beehive houses for obvious reasons. They are becoming less common as more Bedouin settle down, but the ones we met were very friendly and quite amusing.
In Aleppo I went for a Hamam (Turkish bath) with some friends. which was pleasant apart from the French tour group who barged through taking photos and videoing us in a typically gallic rude and belligerent way.
