Syria
Syria has improved immensely since the death of the late unlamented president, whose son appears to be much more sensible. There is no longer the sense of frantic hate that once set your teeth on edge as soon as you entered the place, though the country is still no friend to Israel and America. Individuals, however, have little to fear, at least on the beaten track and I strongly suspect that even Israel could become a friend if it showed itself half-way willing to talk genuine peace.
Please note that having an Israeli stamp in your passport will automatically bar you from this country, and on the visa application form you are specifically asked whether you have ever visited Israel. Troubled by a puritan conscience, I phoned the Syrian embassy and told the attache that I had visited Palestine which, unfortunately, meant that I had to pass through the 'I' country. He listened politely and then said, "If you reply 'yes' on the form, I have to refuse you a visa" - which I understood to mean, "You know you've been to Israel, I know you've been to Israel, but so long as you don't put it in writing, we're not bothered."
You can, of course, fly into Damascus, but it is also possible to fly into Beirut and then take a taxi across the mountains to the Syrian border. The border officials are friendly but still at the primitive stage where they are likely to want to note down the serial number of your camera in your passport.
Damascus
There are three things to see in Damascus: the Ommayed Mosque, the Street called Straight, and the archaeological museum.
The Ommayed Mosque used to be the Christian church of St John the Baptist, but it has been beautified with glorious mosaics and tile work and is well worth a visit. Tread carefully over the lintel as you enter the courtyard: according to legend the fragment of the True Cross captured by Saladin at Hattin was buried beneath the threshold so that it would be trodden on by every True Believer as he entered.
The Street Called Straight is the old Roman main street - the Cardo? - and while it may have been straight in the days of St Paul, it has a few kinks in it now. Somewhere off to one side is a small church which claims to be the house of Annanias where St Paul took refuge after his conversion.
The museum is magnificent but, like all museums in Syria, photography is not allowed. Perhaps the greatest treasure is the painted synagogue from Dura Europus, which has a room all to itself and is ferociously guarded against anyone who might dare to raise camera to eye. Elsewhere the guards are less vigilant and a few are willing to look the other way, though a tip is expected for such cooperation. At one end of the museum is a reconstructed Damascus house - or at least, one room from such a house - made deliciously cool by water flowing down the walls and bubbling up from a fountain in the centre. Look for the tomb effigies from Palmyra as well.
If you want to hire a car in Syria you will either have to go to the airport or one of the large hotels, as there are no car hire offices in town. The price is exhorbitant and the hirer will probably do his best to discourage you and the reason for both is the same: Syrian drivers are among the world's worst. Driving round Damascus calls for skill and caution - see the advice in the article on the Lebanon.
Hamath (Homs)
There is little to see here. The famous water wheels down by the river were still when I was there, the mosque built by Saladin's predecessor was closed, the excavations on the tel are overgrown with weeds and completely without signs, so a visit is of little profit.
The only comfort is that driving becomes much easier when you leave Damascus, not becuase the drivers are any better but just because there are fewer of them.
Ebla
This is one of the treasures of Syria, as it is totally unexpected. Situated about twenty miles south of Aleppo, it looks most unimpressive as you approach, particularly as the beehive houses have just about disappeared from the nearby village. As you drive up onto the tel you discover that it isn't a tel at all but the long-buried walls of an enormous fortified city. Within their boundary there is a prominent mound where the ancient palace was excavated. Look out for the lions' den, the palace itself and, at the far end of the palace, the library whose walls are marked with the lines where shelves once held thousands of clay tablets. There are a few excellent signs identifying the ruins, but a few more would not go astray.
You can see some of the tablets in the Aleppo museum, others are in the nearby museum of Idlib, which is worth a visit - though in neither place is photography permitted.
Ugarit
Otherwise known as Ras Shamra, this ancient site just north of Latakia is well marked and worth a visit. The ruins are extensive and very interesting. Tablets found here cast great light on Baal worship and the myths common in Canaanite religion.
Palmyra
This is a dream visit, as the ruins are so famous that you have to pinch yourself to realise you are really there.
The drive from Aleppo is interesting as the "desert" you drive across is really dry grass and low shrub until the last couple of miles. From Damascus, on the other hand, you cross real desert.
Unfortunately the original entrance to Palmyra, which took you along the street of tombs, is now shut off and you have to circle round to the north and come in from that direction - which means that you have to drive back along the old road if you wish to see the tower tombs. These are worth a visit, though none are now open.
There has been a population explosion in Palmyra together with an influx of tourists of the sort who demand swimming pools and all mod-cons. The result is that the age-old never-failing spring which used to be Palmyra's water supply has dried up as millions of gallons of ground water have been extracted to supply demand. One wonders how long the underground water can last before it too dries up and Palmyra returns to the desert.
The ruins are as spectacular as all the photographs you have ever seen and you can spend a day or more wandering around taking them all in. To me the most evocative was the hastily constructed wall cutting the city in half as Zenobia desperately prepared to battle the advancing Romans.
Other sites
There are many other sites to visit in Syria, but as I have not been to them I can't advise. Antioch, once the richest city in the world, has very little to show. Aleppo has a famous citadel as well as the museum. Haran has water wheels that still function (I believe). The massive Assassin castle of Mashyaf is worth a visit so that you can shudder over the chasm beneath the walls. According to legend - and probably true - on one occasion the Old Man of the Mountains, to impress a visitor, ordered a guard to jump over the edge - which he instantly did, plunging to his death. The visitor, duly impressed with the reckless disregard for life, made his peace with the Old Man. Dura Europus and Mari are both worth visiting but so far off the beaten track that you are most unlikely to get to them.
