Syria

For those who like to immerse themselves in history, few places can compare with Syria. This fascinating country was a melting pot of different cultures and civilizations for several millennia before the term ‘melting pot’ was even coined.

Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks, Mongols, Ottomans and the French have all left their mark here. Damascus is one of several cities in the Middle East that claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the world, and if ever a place merited the description ‘timeless’, this is it. In the words of Mark Twain: ‘Damascus has seen all that ever occurred on earth, and still she lives.’

Walk along Straight Street, where Saul had his Damascene moment and became Paul, visit the modest tomb of Saladin and the Great Umayyad Mosque, and explore the souqs, crammed with small shops selling everything from gold jewellery to herbs, spices and cheap plastic toys.

Beyond Damascus lie many more impressive sights: the classical ruins of ancient Bosra, Palmyra and Apamea, well-preserved Crusader-era castles, the atmospheric Dead Cities that litter the hillsides of northwest Syria, and the old city of Aleppo.