About Syria

Syria is a land of great antiquity. The capital city, Damascus, is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and it was Damascus which was claimed to be paradise on earth.

Shopping:

Syria is considered a shoppers' paradise for all sorts of handicrafts and gifts made of silk, wool, copper, brass, glass, wood and embroidered cotton table cloths. Shops are open Saturdays through Thursdays 10:00 - 20:00.

Climate:

In Winter it is often rainy with some snow, temperatures range between -4 and +10 Celsius. In Spring and Autumn it is very moderate and lovely with temperatures averaging 17 to 23 Celsius. In Summer the average is 30 Celsius although for a few weeks in August the temperature may reach 40 during the days while it cools at night.

Food:

Syria is a paradise of gourmet food. The Syrian kitchen has the widest variety of food in the world. Syrian dishes are numerous; over a thousand varieties are all made of fresh, healthy ingredients including meat and vegetables, fruits, sweets and other delicacies. All are typical Syrian cuisine.

Currency:

The monetary unit is the Syrian Pound (Lira), 1 US$ = approximately 50 SYR LIRA. There are 1, 5, 10 and 25 coins and 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 bank-notes. Foreign currencies and traveler's cheques can be easily exchanged at all major hotels and banks. Banks are open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. from Saturday through Thursday and closed on Fridays.

Population:

There are about 17 million people living in Syria, with about 4 million in Damascus (the capital), 2 million in Aleppo, 1 million each in Homs and Hama, 1 million in Latakia and 800,000 in Deir Ezzor. The population is Semitic-Aramaic. The Bedouins inhabit the steppe of Central Syria and are descended from the pure Arab race of Arabia. Arabic is the official language, but almost everyone speaks English or French as a second language.

Geography:

The country is divided into 4 main areas. Fertile plains are found in the northeast, steppe and desert regions in the central and southeastern areas, coastal and mountain areas in the west, and the region of the Euphrates river through the center of the country which travels some 600km from the Syrian-Turkey border near Aleppo in the north to the Syrian-Jordan border in the south.