Today I am going to tell you about one of the most interesting routes I have ever done, palmyra. An excursion that can be considered exotic and that right now is impossible due to the constant terrorist attacks in the area. It is about the ancient city of Palmyra, an impressive archaeological ruins in the syrian desert.
Palmyra was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980. Located in the middle of the desert and next to an oasis, it is one of the most important archaeological remains that are still preserved despite the attacks by DAESH (Islamic State) and a reflection of all the cultures and times that inhabited the area throughout the centuries.
Some archaeological discoveries document the founding of the city around the second millennium BC and Neolithic remains have been found.
Before the civil war and ISIS attacks, Palmyra was one of the most beautiful places in the Middle East and Syria.
How to get to Palmyra?
Surely the first question should be "Is it possible to go to Palmyra right now?" and the answer would be NO. It is best to visit it when there is peace in the region.
Still, to get to Palmyra it is only possible to do it by road, by car or by bus. A road directly connects the capital of Syria Damascus with Palmyra, located about 220Km and about 4 hours of travel. I do not know the price of making the trip by taxi, you always have to haggle.
Despite being the most important tourist spot in the country, I I recommend traveling with an agency and a guide, the distance is long and most of the posters are in Arabic.. There are several hotels to stay there.
The best hotel is the Zenobia Cham Palace, the only one located right in front of the ruins and built in 1930 by Europeans, Countess Marga D'Andurain and her partner Pierre. A charming hotel, an acceptable price, correct treatment and a story worthy of the best novels. There you can discover why.
What to do in Palmyra?
The ruins are located right next to the modern city with the same name and they have a very considerable extension. Most of them can be visited on foot but there are some ruins (funeral towers) located at higher points or further away that require a vehicle to get there.
Palmyra does not stand out for one thing in particular, it's the whole set. The entire city is very well preserved by the centuries that it was built, the wars, invasions and times that it has lived.
I recommend you leave the hotel very early and start walking around the archaeological ruins. In summer temperatures can easily reach 40ºC, bring water and comfortable clothes to walk. Visit the entire ancient city in the morning and at noon or in the afternoon go to the Valley of the Tombs. If you have time I would also take a walk through the modern city of Palmyra.
With that said, we can't leave Palmyra without seeing the following:
- Temple of Bel (or Baal): time converted into a church consecrated to the cult of Bel, supreme god of Mesopotamia, and built in 32 AD It was destroyed by DAESH. Before the attack it was considered the best preserved temple in Palmyra. Now they are rebuilding it.
- Temples of Baalshamin, Nabu, Al-lat and Baal-Hamon, also located inside the city and built between the XNUMXst and XNUMXnd centuries after Christ.
- Main axis of the city: it is a spectacular colonnade of more than 1km which served as the main street of Palmyra from the 2nd century AD and was used by locals, merchants and others. It is surely the best known image of this city in the world.
- Teatro novel: it is one of the best preserved Roman theaters in the world. Built in the XNUMXnd century AD, when Palmyra was under the rule of the Roman Empire.
- Valley of the tombs: a few kilometers from the old city and near the mountains there are several funerary towers. One of them is the Elahbel tower, from the XNUMXst century AD, and in a perfect state of preservation. You can visit its interiors and see the impressive architecture and paintings.
Once peace returns in Syria, I I recommend you go to Palmyra without a doubt.
I was lucky enough to be able to visit him half a year before the start of the civil war. At that time the country seemed to be opening up to the world, many Western companies were beginning to have a presence in Syria. It gave me the feeling that people in general were happy with the situation in the country and they liked that tourism began to visit it. Clearly I left with a feeling that did not fit reality.