Syria travel guide

The now deceased president of Syria Hafez Asad once traveled to North Korea and was delighted by the monumental possibilities of personality cult. Since then, the country is decorated by thousands of designs, steles, arcs and billboards with images of the Great President.

Modern arab people just love being surrounded by their ruler's portraits. So in 2000, when Hafaz Asad passed away, his son Bashar Asad came into power and replaced his father's portraits with his own.

"Thank you", "thank you", "thank you", "thank you". Entrance to a large hospital in Damascus.

A small oasis city remained here from the ancient times. Here's a sample of a Roman pipe and toilet of those days.

People in Ma'lula village began talking Aramaic language in 1000 BC and still keep using it on these days. Also, there are unique 3D crosses in here. Christian villages are widespread in Syria.

Umayyad mosque in Damask holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist (Yahya), honored as a prophet by Muslims and Christians alike.

Crusaders left a mark in Syria's history by founding the unassailable Krak des Chevaliers fortress. Below you can see examples of medieval toilets.

Syrians are very friendly, cheerful and hard-working. You can judge of their diligence by the fact that there are no bums in the country. Poor people polish shoes on every street, making a few dollars for living, but never beg. An incredible number of craftsmen fill the city streets. Hundreds of different workshops spread throughout the bazaars. They make everything - from boilers to leaflets.

You can judge of their friendliness by how a local villager (not knowing a single word in English) helped me. In the evening I was driving from one village to another, which had Internet access available. A local man gave me a lift to the village (for free). On my way back home I made a wrong turn, which left me alone in the middle of nowhere. Moon shining on the road, nothing but mountains in many miles around, wolves started to howl. Naturally I was quite scared. But luckily a driver showed up and guessed that the tourist needs help. We drove to his friend who new two words in English: "yes" and "no". I had to explain them how to drive to my hotel, whose name and address I didn't know (yeah, sometimes I'm being really forgetful). Noticeably, they didn’t ask anything for a two-hour long drive on the mountains.

More photos:

The president.