Sample
Charming Boutique Hotels in Syria
Talisman Hotel: Damascus
Talisman is more than an hotel: it is more like a home. We will
provide you all the services and luxury of a five stars residence.
Two wide opened courtyards with outdoor swimming
pool. Private and exclusive Turkish Hammam.
The Talisman is a luxury «charm» hotel situated in
the old town of Damascus, twenty minutes from the airport, a hundred
yards from the old Roman straight way (Medhat Pacha) and the historical
Bab Sharqi, famous now for its souks and street markets. This
old Jewish palace, built in a quiet side street and easily accessible
by car, has been restored in the most authentic tradition of an
Arab house.
Each
of the 16 rooms and suites at Talisman is unique with its personalized
lay-out and decoration. All the rooms are equipped with the latest
commodities:king size bed, mini bar, central heating, individual
air-conditioning, plasma television set with decoder so that you
may choose any channel you please, DVD reader, wi-fi internet
connection, telephone. Executive suites are larger and have a
desk corner. The bathrooms are spacious and planned for your rest
and well-being: finely worked wooden basins with their matching
mirrors, old cement tiled or beige marble floors, bath tub or
shower cabin, or both, hair-drier and comfortable bathrobes.
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What
past guests say about our service
Touring Syria and Jordan:
From: ......... I.... [mailto:d.......oc@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 07:03 AM
To: info@travelinstyle.com
Subject: Re: Mr. and Mrs. Il...n- Syria and Jordan Damascus March
Dear Ms. Boga,
We had such a delightful journey. Your personnel, schedule
and hotels were all top notch. Thanks so much. I am very impressed with
your
organization. .
Sincerely,
Dwain and Marilyn I.......
More
Choices :
Important
Syria will not issue visas for any passport holder that may carry any
stamp or visa for Israel. Border crossings may take some time, depending
of several circumstances (traffic, police, documentations, visas, etc.)
Zenobia hotel: Palmyra
built in 1920 … Agatha Christy was one of the welcomed guests
, the Zenobia Hotel is ideally located in the middle of Palmyra archeological
site; rooms offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations,
which you can explore at your ease.
The
26-room hotel offers a wonderful view of the traces of past civilizations,
which you can explore at your ease. The hotel is a masterpiece of elegance
and warm hospitality that is part of our commitment to tradition particularly
amidst this historical surrounding. You are welcome to the world of
Zenobia hotel where you relive the past and feel the glorious days of
Palmyra.
The hotel rooms; all are air-conditioned, with central heating and a
telephone. The Countess suite is a duplex room, with two double beds
and a private bathroom on each deck. ( Supplement applies, and you must
really book in advance to get this suite)
The
Oasis restaurant offers a wide variety of delicious cuisine whether
it is indoors or in the open air with a direct view on the ruins.
Palmyra
was known as the bride of the desert, where once stood as one of the
greatest Roman oasis cities of all times. The extensive roman ruins,
only a three-minute walk from the hotel; stand gracefully to remind
us of the glory of Palmyra's past
Beit
Wakil Hotel: Aleppo - Click for images
A
true example of the distinguished 16th century Aleppine architecture,is
a charming palace situated just outside the old city walls.This perfectly
preserved structure which has stubbornly defied the destructive elements
of time,ranks among the most elegant and
beautiful palaces in the region.
THE
PAGANISM OF PALMYRA
The city-state of Palmyra in northeast Syria just off the Iraqi highway
was phenomenal. Palmyra is Syria’s start tourist attraction and
one of the world’s most splendid historical sites. Palmyra’s
intriguing history, along with a profusion of colonnades, temple and
funerary towers are mesmerizing in this desert oasis. Palmyra means
the city of Palms (as one would expect on an oasis in the desert).
The ruins mostly are from the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. The history
dates at least to the 2nd millennium B.C. Early rulers included the
Assyrians and Persians and then the Seleucids under the descendants
of Alexander the Great’s empire. This area was an indispensable
staging post for caravans from the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia and Arabia.
It also was important on the silk route from China, India to Europe.
Passage was only permitted by paying a heavy toll (there is nothing
new about toll roads!).
As the Romans became more powerful, Palmyra was permitted to be a free
city and served as a buffer between East and West. The citizens had
equal rights with those of Rome. This all led to great wealth and prosperity.
Zenobia became queen of Palmyra in 267, expanded her kingdom but was
eventually defeated by Emperor Aurelian.
The city fell in 634 to a Muslim army and literally disappeared under
the sands of the desert until 1678 when two English merchants reintroduced
it to the West.
The single most impressive part o the ruins is the temple of Baal (Bel).
This was mostly completed by 32 A.D. and was a major site of pagan worship.
There is a prominent podium of the sacrificial altar with a large canal
leading from it to collect the blood. A million sheep and goats were
killed her yearly. For comparison, Muslim men today go to Mecca once
in their lifetime. Each man is to bring a sheep to sacrifice. During
that special week, over a million sheep are killed yearly creating a
river of blood. This happens every year even now. Palmyra was the center
of pagan worship and continued the worship of Baal as noted in many
texts in the Bible.
The great 1 km colonnaded avenue is really special. Around this are
the theater, Diocletian’s Baths and the Tetrapylon. The Tetrapylon
is a tight grouping of four columns with each of the pillars supporting
150,000 kg of solid cornice. One is of the original pink granite from
Aswan in Egypt. The Valley of the Tombs is very striking. The underground
burial chambers of “the three brothers” is a piece of art
with frescoes, paintings and statuary.
The paganism going on here contemporaneous with the teachings of Jesus
and the apostles presented a strong contrast of beliefs and hope.
THE
PROMINENCE OF ALEPPO AND DAMASCUS
These two Syrian cities both claim to be the oldest continually occupied
city in the world. Both lay claim to a 4000-year history of being a
city. We found both of them to be fascinating.
Our introduction to Damascus was at night. We drove into the old walled
city and were let out of our car. We followed our guide through a labyrinthine
of narrow streets to our house-hotel. We knocked on a plain exterior
door and were let in. Inside was a lovely courtyard with balconies,
large decorative pool, plenty of plants all of which led to another
courtyard. Our room was at the far end of the first courtyard. The furnishings
were all dark wood inlayed with mother of pearl. It was breath taking.
The next day we were led throughout the old city. The emphasis was on
the markets (souks) on and just off the street called Straight as recorded
in Scripture Acts 9. We visited the Umayyad Mosque. This is Syria’s
most significant religious structure. A mosque has been here since the
Muslims came in 636 A.D. There were Muslim pilgrims and teachers from
Iran and Saudi Arabia.
After that we toured the lovely Azem Palace which was built in the mid
1700’s. It includes lovely rooms, courtyards and fountains.
Aleppo is located near the Turkish border and the Mediterranean Sea.
Our lodging was likewise in a 300-year-old house with lovely courtyards.
The Citadel was built by the Marmukes, an Islamic dynasty, in the mid
1300’s. It is an impressive fortress on the highest point of the
city.
The souks (markets) were fascinating. We watched the butchering of a
camel. All meat sold is killed that day, as Islamic law requires fresh
meat. The market was not as busy as Damascus and was designed for the
residents, not tourists. Marilyn got some lovely jewelry. She also went
shopping the night before at some shops in our neighborhood. The products
included 2 Bedouin silver pieces for a necklace and a lovely 60-year-old
embroidered tablecloth. We ate that evening at Sissi’s close to
our lodging. We had excellent eggplant ratoulle, cheese bread, mushroom
soup. The best was stopping at a small bakery with a wonderful variety
of pistachio pastries covered in honey!
I will close with HIGHLIGHTS from a variety of places, then zingers
and trip conclusions:
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