Syria

Syria is a country that suffers in the media. There is some justification for this, considering the regimes that have been in power are far from democratic and have suppressed freedoms both at home and abroad. The country is not just the regime in power and there is a lot to see there and the people were generally very hospitable.There are a number of archeological sites to visit in the country such as the Roman colonnades at Apamea (photo 1). There is also the ancient remains of Palmyra (photos 2 & 3) which is in real need of responsible restoration. The theatre in Palmyra was totally remade which may not be what archeologists generally regard as restoration, but it does make it easier to envisage how these things really were.

The ruins of Qasr Ibn Wardn are also interesting, with horizontal bands making it more attractive..

Krak des Chevaliers is an old crusader castle and a fantastic example of a European castle. It is the classic style. It was built and expanded by The Order of the Knights of St. John between 1142 and 1271. It is rather large and was rumoured to be impregnable and was actually lost due to a faked letter. It was a lot of fun to explore and the sort of thing that kids could have great fun in and around

The 'beehive' homes of the Syrian bedouin are distinctive and attractive

In Aleppo I went for a Hamam (Turkish bath) with some friends. which was pleasant apart from the French tour group who barged through taking photos and videoing us in a typically gallic rude and belligerent way.