Ma`loula (Arabic: معلولا , from the Aramaic word ܡܥܠܐ , ma`lā, meaning 'entrance') is a town in Syria. With two other nearby towns, is the only place where the western dialect of Aramaic is spoken (see Western Neo-Aramaic).
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, L
Krak des Chevaliers, also transliterated Crac des Chevaliers, is a Crusader fortress in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval military castles in the world. In Arabic, the fortress is called Qal'at al-hison (Arabic: قلعة الحص
This Tal (which means hill) is 25 km south-east of Idleb. It is the site of important and recent archaeological discoveries.
Homs is the third most important city in Syria. It lies 160 km to the north of Damascus. Like Petra and Palmyra, Homs was an Arab emirate in the 2nd century B.C. It was also the third station on the "Silk road" after Doura Europos and Palmyra.
Hama has a long heroic history in defending Syria against foreign invasions. One of the outstanding battles was that of Qarqar, where the Assyrian army was defeated in 853 B.C. Unfortunately, few of its ancient relics have been preserved.
Ebla (Arabic: عبيل، إيبلا ) was an ancient city located in northern Syria, about 55 km southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC.
founded in 303 BC by the Seleucids on the intersection of an east-west trade route and the trade route along the Euphrates. The new city, commemorating the birthplace of Alexander's successor Seleucus I Nicator
320 km south-east of Aleppo, Deir al-Zor is the most important urban center in the east of Syria. Its river is the Euphrates, lifeline of the region and fount of civiliation throughout the ages.
