The most impressive monuments and sites in Syria are without doubts the ones dating from the Greek/Roman period. In chronological order, we first visited the town of Bosra, with its splendid Roman Theatre. This town has an old history but it is at the time when local man, Philip, became Emperor of Rome, that the town gained the status of metropolis. The theatre can contain 15000 people. There are also remnants of the old town with gates, public baths, columns and markets. As is often the case, many buildings were later cannibalised by buildings from other rulers, the Christians built churches, the Mamluks mosques and hammams.
Apamea was built 2300 years ago by a general of Alexander the Great. The town is surrounded by good grazing land and at one stage was home of some 500000 people, but also of 3000 horses and even 500 war elephants. The key attraction of the town is its main street, decorated by parallel colonnades on a lenght of 1.8 kilometers. It is an amazing sights. Here we should thank a Belgian team that did "reconstructive archeology", meaning that it rebuilt the columns that were scattered and covered with sand and weeds.
Let's keep the best for last: Palmyra. I do not think I have ever seen such an extended and well preserved site as this one. Maybe it is also the fact that it is in the middle of the desert, next to an oasis.
Most of the temples that we still see today today from 200 AD. It served as a major trading post between the Mediterranean sea and the Euphratis/Tiger rivers. There were many caravans stopping by. Levying tax on them was the main revenue source of the town. The first picture actually shows the "agora", the place where trade was taking place. Most writings were done both in Palmyrean, the local language, and in Greek, the language of trade.
The Romans gave large freedom to the free city. The local people were allowed to build a temple in honour of their God, Bel. The temple is in the middle of a huge courtyard, where many sacrificial animals were killed. The temple itself is very well preserved. It is also noteworthy that it was later transformed into a church and a mosque. Local families were still living on the premises until the 1930's. A hotel - where we stayed - was constructed by the French almost on the ruins. Our guide told us that he hopes this hotel will soon be destroyed. Selfishly, it is true that it is an unforgetful experience to have breakfast in the middle of this splendour, but this is not the best way to preserve the site.
After that, a little tour through the souks. There are many shops and three things stand out. First, the fact that all the shop attendants are men, even for shops selling traditional women's clothes. And this is also the case in banks, restaurants, hotels. The society has found its equilibrium - probably there since years - but is this really sustainable? The second is that Chinese goods are slowly making their way into the souks, especially when it comes to children clothes. The third is the feeling of safety. The sellers are not aggressive at all and the vibe is relaxed. This is a good surprise.
But is this really a surprise... The president's picture is all over the place. He is keeping a watchful eye on its people. Nevertheless, the presence of the security apparatus is not as visible as in Egypt. We travelled throughout the country and never were stopped by the police.
This stability in the country contrasts with the troubles in many neighbouring countries. While we were there, there suddenly was an outburst of violence in Lebanon. And then, on the other side, there is Irak. We took the road to Baghdad. But a trip to this city will be for another time.
Then, there was a period of constant conflicts between the Muslims and the Christians. The most famous symbol is the Krak des Chevaliers. It was build between 1050-1250. It very impressively dominates the whole region and was a key post for the Christian Crusaders on the way to Jerusalem. It is a huge fortress with an outside wall and its 13 towers and the castle itself. Inside, it is like a town made for around 2000 people, with a church, stables, baths, warehouses with supplies to last for 5 years and of course, many rooms. This castle was actually never conquered. Indeed in 1271, the Muslims surrounded the castle, which had become the last outpost of the retreating Christians. So after a month of siege, the Crusaders agreed to abandon it, in exchange for a safe escape.
Approximately at the same time, in Aleppo, the second city, the Muslims built and reinforced the Citadel. The walls and the main doors are impressive. It is a big and as solid as any of the Crusader's castles.
A last example of the new techologies invented by the Muslims are the norias - wooden water wheels. They are more than 20 meters high and were used to scoop water from the Orontes river and deposit it into aqueducts. A very efficient way to irrigate the neighbouring areas. 
