There is another outer citadel wall and a third city wall, which can be followed before arriving to the cathedral that is also being used as a museum. After being used as a stable, and a mosque and Ottoman barracks the French renovated it and used it as a museum. This cathedral is by far the greatest show of religious crusader buildings in Syria.

As you enter you can see that the Cathedral also had defensive purposes, through the corner towers. It is a simple Basilica in plan, with three aisles. Each aisle has four bays and an apse at its end; this represents the transition from the Romanesque to Gothic. There are massive arches with acanthus-topped columns. At the top end of the North aisle there is a headless bird thought to represent the third party of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 – 10:45 AM

Damascus (SANA)

The tourist workshop, which was organized by the Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with the Federation of Syrian Chamber of Tourism, Syrian Arab Airlines Institution and Spanish language magazine “Syria Magazine” among Syrian and Spanish travel agencies yesterday, focused on mutual cooperation and exchanging information and points of view in the field of tourism.

In his opening address, Minister of Tourism Dr. Saadalla Agha al-Kalaa said that the standing relations between Syria and Spain werespecial and the two countries and peoples are strongly tied, indicating that Syria has the needed tourist elements to be one of the attractive countries for tourist groups.

He called for real partnership between Syria and Spain in the tourist field due to the fact that Syria is a hospitable country.

Following the opening session, owners of Syrian and Spanish offices of tourism held meetings and discussed means of exchanging tourist groups.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 – 10:55 AM

Palmyra (SANA)

Head of Turkish Municipality of Urfa Mustafa Ciftji has described Palmyra as one of the best historical cities in the world.

Ciftji, who visited the ancient city of Palmyra with a delegation of mayors of a number of Turkish cities, said that this visit aimed at enhancing the special historical relations between Syrian and Turkish peoples.

For his part, Mayor of ancient Turkish Medit city al-Sayed Nacati stressed that Syria has attractive tourist sites.

He considered his visit to Palmyra an opportunity to get acquainted with this important cultural heritage.

The delegation underlined the importance of investing Palmyra for tourism.

Khaleda/ Idelbi.

Latakia is Syria’s main sea-port on the Mediterranean (186 km southwest of Aleppo). It has retained its importance since ancient times. Latakia was one of the five cities built by Saluqos Nikator in the 2nd century B.C. He named it after his mother, Laudetia.

Not many ancient remains have survived in Latakia, but there are four columns and a Roman arch from the time of Septimus Severus (circa 200 A.D.), in addition to a beautiful Ottoman construction called “Khan al-Dukhan”, which is now a museum.

Latakia is the sea-gate to Syria. It is well-provided with accommodation, and is well-placed as a base from which to explore the coastal regions of the country.

There are beaches, mountains, archaeological sites and many relics of the Crusaders, all within a few hours from each other.

Mention should also be made of the historically important Ras Shamra, only 16km to the north of Latakia. This is the site of Ugarit, the kingdom that had a golden past in administration, education, diplomacy, law, religion and economics between the 16th and 13th centuries B.C. It is the kingdom that gave humanity the first alphabet in the world. This alphabet is still preserved on a clay tablet at the National Museum in Damascus.

Documents, statues and jewels from the Ugarit kingdom are also on display at the Latakia, Aleppo and Tartus museums.

Jableh is another Syrian seaside town, 28 km to the south of Latakia.

Syria has always been the Mecca of multinational archaeological missions who always look for new clues that can reveal historical facts about the civilizations that flourished in Syria thousands of years ago. Many nations used to send groups of archaeologists to perform more researches and excavations to uncover the treasures of the civilizations that flourished on this land, which man had settled thousands of years ago, and had left behind him several civilizations.
In the last quarter of the year 2004 Swiss, Belgian, German and US missions working in Syria could discover, with the help of the General Directorate of Antiquities & Museums in Syria, many new historical sites:

In the region of Palmyra the Swiss mission, working in the Eastern Heer Palace, 115 km from Palmyra, discovered several buildings that helped archaeologists to define the exact time the place was settled for the first time. The mission discovered also a number of clay vessels, coins and bronze items. This encouraged the mission to extend its work in the project until the year 2006 to redefine the site, the date of its construction, the periods of settlements, the style of architecture, and the materials used in building it, so that the site can be restored and maintained in one hand, and the Islamic antiquities scattered in the Syrian Desert can be categorized, in another. The works of the Swiss mission came as a supplement to the excavations of a joint Syrian – US mission in the past year.

In Hama (210 km north of Damascus) An American excavating mission working in Tall al Qarqour discovered a temple of the third millennium BC. Mr. Radhi al Oqdeh, director of antiquities in Hama said “The American mission had discovered, in the same place several historical layers that belong to the Iron age, two complete censers inside the temple used in the religious rites, pottery chips bearing stamps of the third millennium B.C. All the findings were moved to the National Museum in Hama.

In Hama too, the Belgian mission working in Apamea, discovered a new Roman bath of two sections: a hot water section and a service section. The bath was discovered inside the walls of the northern part of the city. South of the bath, the mission discovered another building in which there is a large hall with columns bases that belong to the Byzantine period.
Mr. al Oqdeh, announced the discovery of the main water pipe, which extends for 75 km from Salamieh to Apamea to supply Apamea with potable water bringing water to the main cistern of the city from where it is ,then, distributed into the quarters of the city.
In the northern sector of the Street of Columns of Apamea the same mission discovered the bath of the Roman governor Lucien Julius Agrippa. The façade of the bath had writings that date back to the year 116 AD, that is the period of Emperor Trajan.

In Hama also, and after several seasons of excavations, a church of the 5th.century AD was discovered in Tall al Wardiyat, in the village of Rabo’o. This church is believed to be one of the most beautiful churches of the 5th and 6th.centuries AD, discovered in several places in the governorate of Hama namely in Abou Rubais, Apamea, the palace of Ibn Wardan, and in al Andarin.

In al Yadoudeh, 5 km north of Dara’a, while constructing a sewage system, 8 graves were discovered. The first one was 3 m underground covered with 7 Stone tiles, three of which bear Greek texts written on the bottom surface directed towards the inside of the tomb. The grave 180 x 60 cm was built of three rows of basalt stones. Glass and pottery items, iron bracelets and a bronze cross were found inside.
The second grave 160 x 55 cm was also covered with 7 stone tiles with Greek texts inscribed on the bottom surface directed towards the inside of the grave, which contained several human skeletons, an unscathed glass vessel, three broken glass items and a variety of different items. The third grave was mostly demolished with one grave stone written in Greek. The sixth grave, 2 m underground contained a stone sarcophagus of 2.76 cm long, 67 cm wide, 42 cm deep and 72 cm high. A bust of a young man in his twenties, may be for a leader or a governor was sculptured in the middle of the cover of the sarcophagus. The 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th. Graves were completely demolished with no items inside.
All the discovered items were moved to the warehouses of the department of antiquities of Dara’a to be examined, documented, and later to be exhibited in Dara’a museum.

In al Raqqa, the French mission discovered a cremation site in the Upper Tall of al Shweikh (in the region of the Alibada, and administrative and October Dam). The discovery spot- lighted the unusual way of dealing with the dead, in the region of Mesopotamia, i.e. burning them.
Only few similar sites were discovered in Qarqamish and in Hama. Cremation was practiced in Anatolia and Mesopotamia in very rare occasions during the Assyrian period. This is another example of the diversity of civilizations in Syria.

The Dutch mission, headed by professor Peter Akramanz, ended the excavation program of the year 2004 in Tall al Sabi al Abiad, north of al Raqqa. The mission uncovered constructions and buildings that belong to the 7th.millenium BC. The buildings consist of rectangular rooms 170 cm high, a 9X9 m court yard and a grave of a little child. North east of the Tall (hill), the mission discovered a building of three rooms and a large hall with many items inside; Grindstones of different sizes, spinners, stamps and tombs.
Professor Akramanz said that the mission discovered huge constructions that belong to the median Assyrian period. The constructions included workshops, ovens, homes and other facilities in addition to 37 cuneiform boards. Some of the boards are letters addressed to the great ruler Alibada, and administrative and governmental texts. The largest of the boards is a treaty between the Assyrian empire and one of the neighboring tribes.

In Sweidaa, the department of antiquities, while restoring the citadel of Salkhad, discovered large rectangular stones along the road leading to the citadel under which there were potteries and a partly opened stone door in the center of a stone façade. The whole entrance was uncovered and the hinged stone door was opened. Inside there were several human skeletons randomly dispersed, the remains of wooden tools, and well preserved wood sarcophaguses. The grave yard seemed to belong to the Nabatean Period.