History & heritage
Saladin Castle
Latakia
A castle between two deep gorges in the forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Discover Syria
Ancient sites, castles, beaches and mountains worth the trip — pick a destination, then book a place to stay nearby.
The coast
History & heritage
Ugarit (Ras Shamra)
Latakia
The ancient kingdom where the world's earliest known alphabet was found.
History & heritage
Amrit
Tartus
A Phoenician site south of Tartus with a rock-cut temple and the 'spindle' tombs.
History & heritage
Marqab Castle
Tartus
A black basalt castle on a hill above Baniyas and the sea.
History & heritage
Safita Tower
Tartus
A crusader keep that is still a working church, looking over the hills to the sea.
Damascus & countryside
History & heritage
Old Damascus & Al-Hamidiyah Souq
Damascus
A walled UNESCO World Heritage city of lanes, courtyard houses and khans, entered through the covered Hamidiyah Souq.
History & heritage
Azm Palace
Damascus
An 18th-century Damascene palace of courtyards and fountains, home to the Museum of Popular Traditions.
History & heritage
Straight Street & Bab Sharqi
Damascus
A Roman street crossing the old city to Bab Sharqi, near the cafés of Qaimariyah and Bab Touma.
History & heritage
National Museum of Damascus
Damascus
Syria's largest museum, with treasures from Ugarit, Mari, Palmyra and the Dura-Europos synagogue.
Centre: Homs & Hama
History & heritage
Krak des Chevaliers
Homs
One of the best-preserved crusader castles in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
History & heritage
Palmyra
Homs
Queen Zenobia's ancient city in the desert; heavily damaged — check conditions before travelling.
History & heritage
Norias of Hama
Hama
Giant wooden water wheels on the Orontes, some dating back to the Middle Ages.
History & heritage
Apamea
Hama
A Roman city with a colonnaded street nearly two kilometres long.
History & heritage
Masyaf Castle
Hama
A stone castle above the town of Masyaf at the foot of the coastal mountains.
North: Aleppo & Idlib
History & heritage
Citadel of Aleppo
Aleppo
One of the oldest and largest castles in the world, on a hill above the old city.
History & heritage
Old Souqs of Aleppo
Aleppo
The covered al-Madina souq, among the longest historic markets in the world, being restored section by section.
History & heritage
Serjilla (Dead Cities)
Idlib
A Byzantine stone village of the Dead Cities, with a bathhouse, church and near-complete houses.
South: Daraa & As-Suwayda
History & heritage
Bosra Roman Theatre
Daraa
One of the most complete Roman theatres in the world, preserved inside an Islamic fortress.
History & heritage
Shahba
As-Suwayda
The city of Emperor Philip the Arab, with a Roman theatre, baths and mosaics.
History & heritage
Qanawat
As-Suwayda
Roman and Byzantine basalt ruins among the oak trees of Jabal al-Arab.
Check road conditions and opening times before you travel — some historic sites were damaged or are under restoration.