Destination: Syria
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Archaeological Adventure
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If exploring archaeological sites is your thing, Syria and Lebanon have a long list of ancient ruins that are as impressive as Pompeii or Persepolis.
Start your adventure in the old town of Damascus, with its remains of Roman temples and arches. Apamea, with its 2km-long main street and grey granite colonnades is impressive, Krak des Chevaliers is a must for fans of Crusader castles, and the expansive pink ruined city of Palmyra must be one of the world’s greatest sites.
In Lebanon, Tyre boasts Roman and Byzantine ruins and the world’s largest Roman hippodrome. Sidon’s pretty Sea Castle dates back to Phoenician times although the present structure was built by the Crusaders. The Temple of Echmoun is the best preserved of the Phoenician ruins.
In Beirut’s downtown you will find excavations from the Bronze Age and Roman remains. Byblos is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited towns with 7000 years of history to explore in its Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Crusader ruins. Although Tripoli was settled around 1400 BC its Crusader castle and medieval structures are most intact. Spectacular Baalbek, with its monumental temples, is the most impressive ancient site in Lebanon, followed by the Umayyad ruins of Aanjar.
Bosra, in the south of Syria, was once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia. The present residents live in and around the ancient ruins of the Roman town, citadel and magnificent amphitheatre.
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