Museums :
Museums in Syria, contain uncountable number of treasures. These magnificent traces make visitors imagine this long
trip of time as they moved from one hall to another. The instruments made of stones,
worshiping articles and stony home tools are putting us in front of old history, while the antique jewelry awakes into our minds the picture of the women who adorned themselves with these beautiful ornaments.
Through these museums, we will go deep into the great and luxurious temples, stand at the gates of the first alphabet
city, and at the entrances of a big palace built by the Umayyad caliph in that wide
desert, then get acquainted with old faces with their expressive, live and tiny features.
In these museums, we pay tribute to the greatness of Islamic civilization with its scientific discoveries, inventions, and artistic creations from delicate ornamentation and valuable hand written manuscript, while the magnificent mosaic tells the story of ancient philosophers and the Mediterranean mythology:
( Ulysses – The Iliad – Orpheus … ).
Damascus :
Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, is an emerald
oasis resting in the shades of Ghuta and orchards and quenching its thirst from Barada water.
Damascus is a mixture of glorious heritage and modernity. This city stood proudly against the invaders and resisted the Franks' campaigns that failed to tarnish its pride.
Damascus witnessed many civilizations and co-existed with them, preserving their imprints and monuments. Many poets and travelers praised Damascus and were fascinated by its wonders.
Historians called Damascus: Jollaq, Al Fayah, Ash-Sham and attributed it to Demshaq Ibin Canaan. Many others confirmed that it dates back to the time before Ibrahim Al Khalil.
Damascus is the birthplace of philosophers and great architects who left their imprints upon the Roman Empire. The
architect, Apollodorus the Damascene, designed the first bridge on the Danube River as well as the great Trajan Forum
in Rome. Papinien and Ulpien, the well-known men of law descended from this part of the world.
Old Damascus is surrounded by a wall and towers, in the addition to eight gates, six of which are attributed to ancient times whilst the other two are Islamic.
The Umayyad Mosque with its three minarets and columns of the temple of Jupiter the Damascene, stands at the heart of the city embracing several historial and archaeological monuments. Important places such as: Saladin Mausoleum and schools such as: Al Adelieh, Al Jaqmaqieh " Museum of Arabic Calligraphy ", Al Zaherieh are all situated to t he north of the mosque. To the south: Azem Palace, Khan Asa'ad Pasha and Haqmmam Nur –iddine are other interesting sites.
Saint Hanania Church stands to the east of the Old City, whereas saint Paul church is situated at Kissan gate. This was the place where this Saint was descended in a basket from the wall and left Damascus to Europe to preach Christianity.
In the west of the Old City, Damascus Ayyubid Citadel stands as well as Takieh Sulemanieh with its Military next to the National Museum.
At the top of Qasyun mountain, there is Al Arba'een Shrine, where Eve stayed after her son Cain killed his brother Abel, thus became the first victim in history, as the legends say.
Many Damascene houses, hammams, khans and historical schools dating back to the successive Islamic periods are
scattered inside Old Damascus in addition to An-Nawfara the popular café. It has other locations of interest such as Al Assad National Library, Tishrin War Panorama, the Monument of Unknown Soldier in Qasyun Mountain, the Opera, the
National Theater, cultural centers as well as several sport complexes.
Ma'alula :
Ma'alula means the entrance in the Aramaic language. It is a rocky village located in
Al-Qalamoon Mountains, in the eastern lower part of Lebanese eastern mountain.
It houses cling on hills of limestone and the village has two famous monasteries:
Up till now, the people of Ma'alula still speak Aramic, the language of Jesus Christ.