Bucket List 196: Syria!
The Road Travelled · Tales From Syria · Photos
Country 98/196: Syria. While Syria is undeniably in rebuilding mode, there’s good reason to visit now, before pricier visa requirements take hold. Resilient Damascus invites exploration of its ancient treasures, including the awe-inspiring Umayyad Mosque and Khan As’ad Pasha, a caravanserai that, historically at least, was frequented by more camels than the current ‘dark tourist travel influencers’. Syrian hospitality is unmatched, locals greeting visitors warmly, often with plates piled high with succulent camel meat and if it’s beer you’re after, Khaldoun from Syria Scope Travel knows just the right hidden spot—provided you don’t mind a salted rim.
The Road Travelled
Tales From Syria
One Hump or Two?
July 19th, 2025 Day two in Damascus began with a sober reminder that, despite recent signs of normality, the scars of conflict still run deep. Khaldoun, my ever-insightful guide, led me out early into streets bustling with morning routines—most notably, queues of patient locals lined up to collect daily rations of fresh bread, which remains a part of…
You Cannot be Syri-ous
July 6th, 2025 Following the stability of Jordan, I found myself crossing into Syria—a place caught between the trauma of its recent past and the uncertainty of its future. Assad’s regime had finally collapsed in December, and with new visa requirements soon to include land borders (as they already did at Damascus airport), the window to visit Syria…
Photos
Syria
Country: 98/196 Visited: Spring ’25
