Foto: The entrance of Aleppo Citadel (bron: Rita van der Veer)
Syria - The Citadel of Aleppo is situated on a hill, rising fifty meters above the city. It is one of the strongest fortresses in the world, built in the middle of the Syrian city and surrounded by a 20-meter-deep and 30-meter-wide moat. One of its distinctive features is the large entrance gate, accessible via a high stone bridge built by the Mamluks in the 16th century. The gate contains three steel doors. Other important sights include the armory, the Byzantine hall, and the throne room. Historically, the citadel also contained an amphitheater, a hamam (bathhouse), several wells—the deepest 125 meters deep—and an underground tunnel system that possibly extended beneath the city.
Damascus the Pearl of the Orient
Syria - Damascus, the capital of Syria, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It has held an important position in science, culture, politics, art, trade, and industry since early times. It has been called Al-Fayha’a, Al-Sham, Jollaq, and ...
Palmyra the City of a Thousand Columns
Syria - Two hundred kilometers northeast of the capital lies the ancient city of Palmyra, the country’s largest tourist attraction. In the middle of the Syrian steppe desert, a sulfurous spring called Afqa emerges from a limestone cliff, around which Palmyra ...