Syria
Historic Sites & Landmarks in Syria
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Kharab Shams
Syria
400
Located on the eastern slopes of the Jebel Sima'an not far from the Aleppo-Azaz road, Kharab Shams has a very well preserved Byzantine basilica dating from the 5th century.
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Damascus Citadel
Damascus, Syria
The citadel of Damascus, smaller than the one in Aleppo, dates mainly from the Ayyubid and Mameluke periods, when Sultan al Adil used it to defend Damascus against the Crusaders and Mongols in the 13th century.
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Serjilla
Syria
Serjilla (also spelled Sarjella) gets Lonely Planet's vote as the "most eerie and evocative" of the Dead Cities of northern Syria. It also has the greatest number of semi-complete buildings.
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Palmyra
Palmyra, Syria
Palmyra was once a great and powerful Roman city, as its impressive ruins attest. Substantial ruins of temples to Bel and Baal can be seen here, as well as towers tombs and a castle.
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Straight Street
Damascus, Syria
This historic street is as straight today as when it was walked by St. Paul. Today it contains many markets, the House of Ananias, several Roman arches and mosques.
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Great Mosque of Damascus (Umayyad Mosque)
Damascus, Syria
This historic 7th-century mosque stands on a site that has been sacred since 1000 BC. It has medieval mosaics on the facade and a shrine to John the Baptist inside.
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Krak des Chevaliers
Syria
1150-1250
This remarkably well-preserved Crusader castle looks almost exactly as it did 800 years ago. T.E.
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Chapel of St. Paul (Bab Kisan)
Damascus, Syria
This stone chapel in Damascus incorporates materials from the Bab Kisan, the ancient gate through which Paul was lowered out of a window in Acts 9:25.
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Maronite Cathedral
Aleppo, Syria
Built in 1873, this church has two pointed towers and a high dome. The Maronites are Eastern Catholics in full communion with the Pope, with a liturgy in Syriac.
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Shrine of Sayidda Zeinab
Damascus, Syria
1990
Located in the town of Sayyidah Zaynab south of Damascus, the Shrine of Sayidda Zeinab is an opulent Iranian-style Shi'a mosque and shrine. It shelters the tomb of Sayidda Zeinab, the daughter of Imam Ali and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.