Sightseeing in Syria….From Aleppo to Damascus!
The first city I visited in Syria was Aleppo. I began by roaming the cavernous streets of Aleppo. Like many Arab countries I have visited in the past…..I got lost, found and lost again! At this point in my travels I feel relatively confident in my map skills (I suppose I can put that on my resume as a skill I have acquired during 2008, since I won’t have any other job for the given year to put on my resume :), however when it comes to Arab countries I seem to get lost more than the norm. I think it may have something to do with the lack of street signage or if there are names and numbers for the given street it is in Arabic….which means absolutely nothing to me, because my map is in English (and I don’t know Arabic….well a few words).
Eventually, I found my way to the souk, which had everything to sell from traditional sweets to scarfs. From the souk I went to Saahat al-Hahab (the main square). In the main square is the Aleppo, Citadel, which sits high on a hill and is surrounded by a 22m moat, which can be crossed by a bridge on the south side of the Citadel. I spent quite a few hours exploring Aleppo, Citadel and after visiting I strolled through Al-Jdeida (the Christian area). After walking around for more than half the day in the VERY humid, humid heat…I decided to try some traditional Syrian food. Syria does meze (small plates), which is great, because that gave me an opportunity to try various types of food. Eggplant is very popular in Arab countries, so I began with Baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant), fattoush (made from several vegetables and toasted or fried pieces of pita bread), kebab cooked in sour cherry sauce (this one was unique to Aleppo and very, very delicious), kibbeh (made of bulgar-used as the shell, stuffed with chopped meat and fried). And for those of you out there who know just how much I love to eat….no I did not eat all of this on my own! My favorite dish to date from an Arab country is the dish they eat at breakfast, which is called Fuul (partially or completely mashed beans, which are slow-cooked in a copper pot and is served with plenty of olive oil, chopped parsley, onion, garlic, and lemon juice-this dish is served hot).
After spending several days in the city of Aleppo, I hired a taxi to take me to the Church of Saint Simeon (Samaan)-which dates back to the 5th century, located 60km east of Aleppo. Syria does not really have infrastructure for tourist, the majority of the tourist that do visit Syria are from other Arab countries trying to escape the heat of their country (apparently Syria is cooler….hmmm, I thought it was quite humid and hot). However, the tourist who do visit from countries other than the Arab ones, tend to hire taxi’s to take them around, because it is very, very inexpensive in Syria and if you have a group of people, it is much cheaper and much more comfortable. Also, there are some sites that require a taxi or rental car to reach.
The first stop on my taxi extravaganza was The Church of Saint Simeon, which was built around the pillar of St. Simeon. St. Simeon was a monk, who chose to live as a hermit on top of the 12m pillar for apparently thirty plus years. The church was built in his honor and much of the church has been well preserved and restored. It really is a beautiful site, as it sits high above overlooking the village below.
My next destination was ‘The Dead Cities’…’The Dead Cities’ are located between the city of Aleppo and Hama. There are over 700 abandoned cities that date back as far as the fifth century B.C. I only visited two cities, Serjilla and Al Bara. Serjilla is the most well preserved of of the two I visited. When you arrive at the site of the Sejilla it really feels like a ghost town, because there are hardly any tourist at the site and the few that are there are dispersed throughout the site. There are many, many ruins that are still in tact, which makes the journey worth a visit…and not to mention it is free!
After visiting the two ‘Dead Cities’, I took the taxi to ”Crac des Chevaliers’. ‘Crac des Chevaliers’ is a crusader fortress that lays close to the Lebanese border. The fortress stands high in the hills of Syria and is an ominous site from afar (the day I visited clouds loomed above the fortress, which were the only clouds I had seen in Syria). I was quite impressed by the outside of the fortress, but very, very disappointed with the inside. The walkway leading up to the center of the fortress is dark, eerie, musty…..basically, it would make for a great backdrop for horror films (I loved it!). However, upon entering the center of the fortress…what once was a cobblestone ground, now had beige carpet laid over it and what stood on the carpet was at least sixty folding chairs. And above and around the carpet and chairs was endless amounts of black think wire. Needless to say, I was not very impressed what laid within the fortress, but the outside was stunning!
Once I finished my tour from Aleppo, Saint Simeon , ‘Dead Cities’ and ‘Crac des Chevaliers’, I took the taxi to Hams to stay overnight and then proceeded the next morning to Damascus, Syria.
Tags: Syria
