
Damascus
Old city · Umayyad Mosque · Souq al-HamidiyahStart where the country starts. A courtyard house, a guide who grew up two streets away, and the first evening on a roof.

Palmyra
Desert road · Tadmur · Temple of BelThree hours east the road empties and the columns rise. We go with a driver who knows which roads are quiet this week.

The coast
Latakia · Tartus · ArwadThen the sea. Fish on the quay, an island a rowboat away, and a day where nothing is scheduled.

Bosra
Hauran · Roman theatre · Black basaltSouth towards Jordan, a theatre built for fifteen thousand still stands inside a fortress. You may have it to yourself for an hour.


