Day Excursions from Damascus

All day excursions begin and end in Damascus. 

Damascus (Full day)

Start with a sample of Syria’s historical treasures at the National Museum, proceed to the Ottoman mosque and the Tekkiyeh Sulimaniyeh. Enter the ancient walled city via the celebrated Souq Al Hamidiyeh, followed by stops at the hospital Maristan al Nuri and the  regal Azem Palace of the Ottoman governor, and the Khan Assad Pasha. Visit Islam’s fourth holiest site, the Omayyad Mosque, and the mausoleum of Saladin. Traverse the Biblical ‘Straight Street’ to the Christian quarter of Bab Touma, home to St. Paul’s Window and the St. Ananias Chapel.

Palmyra (Full day)

Traverse the desert highway to the magnificent Roman oasis city of Palmyra, home of Zenobia, the ambitious Queen who challenged Rome. After visiting the Palmyra Museum, explore its ruins: the Triumphal Arch, the Colonnaded Street, the Funerary Towers, the Underground Tombs, and the colossal Temple of Bel. Then ascend the mountain to Ibn Maan castle for a spectacular sunset view of the ruins below.

Sayyida Zainab, Bosra & Shahba (Full day)

Visit the holy mosque and shrine of Sayida Zainab, magnificently decorated in the Persian style with gold and tile mosaics. Head south to the region known to the Romans as the Province of Arabia, starting with its capital, Bosra, the ancient city built entirely of black basalt stone. Visit its Cathedral, the Grand Mosque, and its Roman amphitheatre, the best-preserved in the entire Mediterranean world. Continue to neighboring Shahba, home of the Roman Emperor Philip the Arab, and Suweida, famous for its museum which contains one of the finest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

Krak des Chevaliers und Hama  

(Full day)

From Damascus via Homs to the Crac des Chevaliers, the most spectacular and best-preserved crusader castle in medieval christendom. In the afternoon drive to Hama, the city who is adorned by its enormous wooden ‘Norias’ or waterwheels, which have creaked and churned in the Orontes channels since Roman times. Visit the twisting alleyways of Hama’s charming old city, and the famous Al-Nuri Mosque.

Maalula & Deir Mar Musa Monastery (Full day)

Drive to Maalula, where the inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ, to visit the monasteries of St. Thekla and St. Sergius. Descend deeper into the Anti-Lebanon valley to the secluded monastery of Deir Mar Mousa, a living monastic community revived by the Italian Jesuit Father Paolo dell’Oglio. View frescoes dating back to the seventh century, sample the locally produced cheeses, and behold the spectacular views across the harsh desert valley below.

Anjar & Baalbek (Full day )

From Damascus to the Lebanese Border. Visit Anjar, the former Umayyad town from the 13th Century , than to Baalbek of the roman times. Visit the Roman ruins and temples. Evening return to Damascus.

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