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Dar
Zamaria Hotel – Aleppo – Syria
Named after the Zamaria family, who lived in the •Dar•,
or home, since the early eighteenth century, this beautiful Islamic
courtyard house exhibits the splendors of ottoman architecture which
flourished in the seventeenth century.
Distinctive of the Aleppine courtyard house, the courtyard is
the center of the residence with the private residential quarters, the
Iwan, covered patios, and the halls, that were designed and lavishly
decorated to entertain guests, all face the courtyard.
The courtyard, Iwan and halls have been converted into restaurants and
resting areas and the private residential quarters have been converted
into bedrooms.
THE
LANGUAGE OF THE JESUS IN THE LAND OF THE BOOK - Visit Maloula in Syria
Syria
is truly the Land of the Book. The ancient alphabets of the Near East
grew into Aramaic and then Hebrew, and finally Arabic and the modern
Latin script that you're reading!
Read More .
The
Best of Jordan , Syria and Egypt : A true 21 Grand Tour of the Near
East
For Guests who want the BEST when touring the Middle East
East
Mediterranean Tour : a 19 day private tour of : Greece , Turkey ,
Egypt and Syria
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.)
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).
Read More.
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:
Viajes
En Esapnol : Jordania , Siria Y Libano
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.
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
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
beautiful courtyards with breathtaking relief and tracery work of their
walls, the marble fountains among the jasmine and lemon trees, the unique
iwan with its majestic arch and colors marble flooring,the elegant arabesque
woodwork of the wall cupboards,the hand drawn wooden ceilings with corniche,
the famous central Qa'a (large room: Lobby ) with its suspended dome
and coloured arabesque glass windows,the stone built cellars and the
lime stone caves below with a labyrinth of tunnels , one of which ,
links the palace to the Citadel of Aleppo , are just few of the many
elements which distinguishes the Aleppine masonry art and Arabian architectural
genius
Today,
Beit Wakil welcomes its guests as a four star hotel with all the modern
comfort facilities. Beit Wakil rooms and suits are centrally air conditioned,
with traditional comfortable Aleppine furniture, minibar, music, T.
V and satellite services, phone and private bathrooms. Both our summer
and winter restaurants offer a wide verity of delicious Aleppine mezes
and specialties together with an oriental entertainment program of classical
Arabic music and dancing.
Aleppo
includes a virile population, a splendid architecture,and a fine Arab
tradition. Aleppo AL-Chahba, 355 Kilometers from Damascus, has been
a prosperous city since the 3rd millennium B.C. and has maintained its
status through town development and an increasing population. It has
played a vital role in the history of the area from the time of the
Akkadian and Amorite Kingdoms. Until recently it has always been the
center of the junction of the ancient trade routs. The old city was
surrounded by a wall incorporating defense towers and fortified gates
built during the Islamic period. A large part of the wall still standing,
for example Bab Qinisrin, Bab Al-Nasser, Bab Al-Hadid, Bab Antakia.
Aleppo is also known for its mosques and churches and is considered
the third city in the Islamic world because of the number of its mosques
and schools. The Archaeological Museum contains exhibits from the stone
age to modern times. It has particularly interesting collection of antiquities
from some of the most ancient site in Syria (Mari, Ugarit, Ebla) , objects
found in the Euphrates Basin, Hama, Tell Halaf and Ein Dara, in addition
to remains from Greek, Roman, Arab and Islamic periods. Most famous
of Aleppo's sights is the citadel, from where all of the city can be
seen.
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nce
a vast Roman province, now a surprisingly friendly Arab country, Syria
is finally being discovered by travelers.
