Syria bears the traces of many caravan routes, Roman roads, pilgrimage trails and superhighways that testify to its role as a corridor for East / West trade. Across its plains, the rich valley of the Tigris / Euphrates system was linked to the outer world that began at the Mediterranean. Across these steppes, as stability and secure trade developed, goods from as far away as China and India were exchanged. By Ross Burns.
DAY 01 – CITY of Tolerance - ISTANBUL – March 23 - Wednesday
Arrival to Istanbul, transfer to old city to your Hotel. Possible walk in old town for arrivals by noon. After an orientation welcome dinner in a nice restaurant. Overnight In Istanbul
DAY 02 - ANTIOCH – March 24 - Thursday
Morning Flight to ANTIOCH from Istanbul and transfer to our Hotel. ANTIOCH was one of the 3 cities, which were illuminated during Roman Empire. Antioch founded by Seleucus 1 Nicator at 300 B.C. Antioch’s first inhabitants were a mixture of local people and Graeco-Macedonian settlers. Today, the material remains of Antioch’s former glory are precious and few. Yet the city has an intense atmosphere that seeps through the narrow alleys of the bazaars and around Mosques, Churches (Armenian and Katholic), Synagougs, making it one of the most cross - culturel and diverse cities in Southern Turkey. It became the capital of Roman province of Syria in 64 B.C. Only Rome and Alexandria surpassed it in importance.
We will visit the aqueduct of TITUS, a huge canal up to 150 ft deep, gouged from the living rock during the reign of the Roman Emperors Vespesian and Titus. It is one of the marvels of Roman engineering from 2000 years ago. We will have lunch in a traditional restaurant and visit the famous Antioch Mosaic museum where most important mosaics from Daphne are displayed. Dinner and overnight in Antioch.
DAY 03 – ANTIOCH – DAPHNE - March 25 - Friday
We will drive to Harbiye (Daphne), where Silk weaving is still active. Visit to weaving workshops where you can buy plane natural color and dyed silk material. Famous sculpturers surviving here as thousands of years ago, still carving marbel, alabaster, granit and other stones into gods and goddeses of anciet world. Later we will stroll through in the old markets “LONG MARKET” where you can find one of the best spices. You can still buy the ancient style cold-stone press olive oil here. We will also visit the Holy church of St. Peter. This is the earliest church carved to a Mountain Facade in Anatolia where early Christianity rooted and flourished. Overnight in Antioch. B.L.D.
DAY 04 – Aleppo - SUQ and the CASTLE - March 26 – Saturday
We will cross via cilvegozu border to Syria. We will drive to Aleppo ( 1.5 -2 hrs. from Antioch ). Our visit will start with the famous SUQ - strolling through in streets of Suq, (Covered Bazaar) will take you to old “time zone”. There is where you show your talent of bargaining with Arabs, Armenians and Kurds. We will discover narrow alleys and back streets of the old town with interesting surviving all kind of handicraft masters and artisans. Later in the afternoon, explore the Memluk Castle of Aleppo, which dates to early 15th century. (Today’s castle) It is one of the well-preserved monuments of the area. Return to our hotel. Overnight in Aleppo. B.L.D.
DAY 05 - ALEPPO - March 27 - Sunday
We will drive to St. Simeon Church – The Elder 390 AD. He embraced a life of prayer and fasting and ascended a column where he spent the rest of his life. Great crowds come to hear him preach. His Complex of cross-church is still in good condition. Later return to Aleppo and after lunch we will wonder on the back streets and deep corners of famous SUQ of Aleppo. We will also visit the famous Great UMAYAD Mosque, which is the major highlight of the town from early 8th century. Possible visit to some interesting places. Dinner and Overnight in Aleppo.
DAY 06 - EAST SYRIA, DEIR EZ – ZOUR - March 28 - Monday
Early drive to Deir Ez –Zour along the Euphrates River. Possible visit to Qalat Ja’bar and Rakka once where famous glazed ceramics were made. Lunch will be on the way. Later we will go for a walk in the mini SUQ in old part of town to meet locals and discover what they offer in their trade and visit the local museum. One of the most important display in the museum is earliest examples of pictogram writing from 4000 BCE in “URUK” southern Mesopotamia. Overnight in D. E. Zour.
DAY 07 - DOURA EUROPOS – MARI on Euphrates - March 29 - Tuesday
Morning drive to Doura Europos, Founded in Alexander the Great’s reign by Seleucus Nicador in 303 B.C.E. The city was on the edge of Roman and Parthian empires, there were 16 temples in which pagans, Jews and Christians all worshipped at the same place together with Geeks, Palmyrenes and Parthians and Macedonians. This is the place where the famous mid second century Synagogue was found and carried to Damas Museum. This is a massive walled ancient city. We will walk all around the ruins. Sassanids were here in mid third century and they left their traces, which is still visible today. After a picnic lunch on the site we will drive down south to Mari.
Mari was the most important Mesopotamian site and capital of middle Euphrates. It was 3 Millennium BCE Royal city-state. Later we will drive to Palmyra and overnight.
DAY 08 - Pearl of a desert, the city of Caravan Travelers - PALMYRA - March 30 - Wednesday
After breakfast, we will start our tour visiting the largest oasis in the desert, which has the biggest Roman town in the Middle East. The ruins of Palmyra are very impressive both by their extent and by their remarkable state of preservation. Visit the great Temple of Bel and the sacrifice altar, the main colonnaded street and its associated buildings, the Diocletian's Camp, the Museum of Palmyra with religious and funerary art depicting the sculptural tradition of wealthy Palmyrian people and how they commemorated their dead, the Temple of Baal-Shamin, Temple of Nebo, the Tetrapylon, the Theater, Statue of Queen Zenobia, the Funerary Temple, the Temple of Allat, the Damascus Gate and the tower Tomb of Kithoth built in 40 AD which stands 29 feet high. Lunch will be in one of the good local restaurants. Continue our tour to visit the Tower Tomb of Elahbel and his three brothers, which was built to accommodate 300 burial spots. Later we will drive to HAMA, check into our hotel. Dinner in a colorful Syrian restaurant. Overnight in Hama.
DAY 09 – HAMA, Waterwheels of ORONTES – March 31 - Thursday
Hama is famous for its extraordinary moaning waterwheels. It is know as a traditional and conservative town. The River AL ASSI, means rebellious flows from South to North, unlike any other river of the region. This is also the center of silk and cotton weaving center of the best towels and home textiles. We will have a visit to one of them, which operates since first half of the 19 century. Hama Yougurt is also famous as well as its sheep. We drive to KRAC DES CHEVALIER for an Hour and a half, have lunch by the Castle.
The one of the best surviving Crusaders castle in the whole Europe and Middle East. Originally from 11th Century. The Hospitallers ( Temple Knights. ). The Crusaders reached here first in 1099. The site was reoccupied by the Emir of Homs when the Crusaders passed on. It was not until 1110 that it was retaken by Tancerd, Regent of Antioch. The Hospitallers’ decision massively to expend the existing fortress after 1170 reflected some strategic considerations to defend the fortress. Famous Memluk sultan Baybars captured it in 1271. Muslim settlers moved in it and remained there until cleared out by the French in 1934. Later, we will drive to Damascus. Dinner and Overnight.
DAY 10-One of the oldest continually inhabited cities of the world, DAMASCUS, April 01 Friday
Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centers in the world. Earliest evidences on the history of the city goes back as early as 2500 B.C. After 1200 B.C., the city was occupied by Arameans. They reestablished the city as a principality of Aram - Damascus that by then was very important in the expansion of the biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Alexander’s campaign brought Damascus under Greek control in the 4th century who at the same time brought town planning to Damascus. Wrangling between Seleucids and Ptolemies weakened Greek authority and lack of effective administration caused the city to be conquered by Romans in the 1st century B.C. The town plan was improved further by an aqueduct system. Damascus housed an important Jewish colony and also was associated with the earliest phase of the spread of Christianity and the mission of St. Paul. Christianity was adopted as the imperial religion in the 4th century. The city was surrendered by Muslim armies twice in the 7th century and made the capital of the Umayyad Empire under the fifth Caliph al-Moawiya. After Seljuk dynasty, the city was twice attacked by Crusaders in the 12th century. Damascus once again became a political center of note and its economy recovered much of its vigour by being taken over by the Ayyubids in late 12th century. Following Ayyubids, Damascus was gradually invaded by Mamluks, Timurlane and Ottomans. We will walk in the Old town and discover the Ummayad Mosque, which is one of the oldest Mosques in the ISLAMIC WORLD. It even contains the tomb of John the Baptist. Built in the very end of the 7th century over the Roman Temple dedicated to Jupiter. We will also walk around the famous Mosque into the Hamidiye Market and interesting shops in surrounding area. Overnight in DAMASCUS. B.L.
DAY 11 - Ma`loula – Aramaic speaking Villages - April 02 - Saturday
After breakfast, we will drive from Damascus to Maloula, about an hour and a half, to see the village where people still speak "Aramaic" the language of Christ. Visit the convent of Saint Sergius (Sarkis) where there is a small Byzantine chapel. This church is one of the oldest in the world dating back to the year 300 AD. Behind the monastery there is another convent dedicated to Saint Takla who converted into Christianity after being deeply moved by Saint Paul's epistle. A few steps and terraces will lead to a small church where Saint Takla is buried and water dripping from the roof is said to possess miraculous powers. Return to Damascus in the afternoon, to our hotel for a relax time and visit the archeological Museum which is the most important Museum of Syria.
Dinner and Overnight in DAMASCUS. B. L. D.
DAY 12 - City of BOSRA – April 03 - Sunday
Drive to Bosra ( 2 hrs.). Originally a Bronze Age settlement, Bosra appears under name of “Busrana” in Egyptian archives of the 18th dynasty. After Alexander`s death it fell within the dynasty of Seleucus, one of Alexander`s generals. Later, the Nabateans, whose original capital was at Petra in Jordan, made Bosra the capital of their newly created Provincia Arabia, and it is from this time that most of the extant ruins of the city date. We will drive around here and visit some other places to our interests. Lunch will be in Bosra. Return to Damascus. Welcome Dinner and Overnight in DAMASCUS. B.L.
DAY 13 - - April 04 – Monday
Morning transfer to Airport to fly to Istanbul. Turkish Air TK 951 dep: 09:55am – Arrive 12: 05 pm. To ISTANBUL. Transfer to the old city.
|
1 Night hotel accom in Istanbul,
