Day 1 ~

Depart USA on overnight flight to Amman.

 

Day 2 ~ Amman
Arrival in Amman; after customs and visa processing, you will be transferred to your hotel for the evening.

 

Day 3 ~ Amman
Today an all-day visit is planned to the Nabatean rock city of Petra, which is possibly one of the most unique places in the world. Over thousands of years, people and nature together have created this extraordinary place. After an impressive stroll through the gorge, we will encounter the breathtaking treasure chamber. Like a movie studio incorporated with an enclosed theater and temple, they lie embedded into a unique desert landscape before us.

Day 4 ~ Amman
The current day we will dedicate to Amman, the capital of Jordan, which joins the antique and modern worlds together. There we see the Citadel, the Roman theater, the impressive well Nymphaum, the National Archaeological Museum, and the al-Hussein Mosque. We will have sufficient time in the afternoon to relax and stroll through the old town. .

 

Day 5 ~ Bosra
Before we cross the border into Syria, we will visit the antique city Jarash. This city is one of the best examples of Roman cities in the Lavant. The characteristic method of building is baroque-oriental. We will walk through the monumental Arch of Hadrian, around the Stadium, the Theater, the Temple of Zeus, and the marble street with its tree-like columns. Then we will continue to Bosra.

 

Day 6 ~ Damascus
Today we will tour the city of Bosra, with its Roman theater which seats 15,000 spectators and is among the largest and rarest Roman theaters in the antique world. This theater is among the freestanding ruins of Bosra, and is one of the best preserved in the world. Then we will travel to Damascus, the most important trade center, and the capital of Syria. In the 1st Century, this city was also for a short time the capital of Nabatea. However, through the conquest of the Romans, it became the capital of the Roman province of Arabia. Because it lies on the path to Amman, it also held a special position. The old town of Damascus is a well-constructed sightseeing paradise for visitors, because here one can see the antiquities of the Islamic, Roman and Byzantine periods all at once. Damascus is the most cultivated and oldest continuously inhabited city in the Middle East. .

Day 7 ~ Damascus

Today we will visit the National Museum, which houses the richest antiquities collections in the East. Then we will stroll through the famous Damascus Bazaar, which dates back to Roman times and was once a part of the Temple of Jupiter. We will visit the nearby Omayyad Mosque, one of the most beautiful buildings of the Islamic world. It was erected by the Omayyad Khalifs on top of the temple yard of the Roman Jupiter sanctuary that was built in the 1st Century AD. .

Day 8 ~ Latakiye

En route to Latakiye, we will visit Ma'lula where today a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Christ, is still spoken; then the Convent of St. Thecla and the Monastery of St. Sergius. Then we will continue on to Homs to explore the Crusader castle "Krack des Chevaliers".  From there we arrivein Latakiye via Amrit and Tartus.

Day 9 ~ Aleppo

This morning we will first visit the archaeological excavation of Ugarit in Ras Shamra, and then travel further into the district of the twin "Dead Cities" in the north Syrian limestone hills. We will also visit the pilgrim sanctuary of Qala'at Samaan (Simeon's basilica), where "Simeon of the Stylites" spent 30 years of his life on top of a column. Finally we will travel to Aleppo, seeing the Citadel before arriving at our hotel.

Day 10 ~ Aleppo

Today we will spend the entire day in the city of Aleppo. Along with Damascus, it is one of the largest cities in Syria, and during Roman times it was a thriving trade center as well as an important connection between Asia and Europe. In the 12th Century, the Spanish-Arab traveler Ibn Jubayr wrote "...the city, as old as eternity, has never stopped being new, although it has always existed". We will explore the old town, which is inhabited both by Christians and Muslims; in fact is has the largest population of Christians in the Middle East. Then we will stroll through the Citadel and the Souk (bazaar) that surrounds it. It remains filled with donkeys and packs as in older days, and we will enjoy wandering through the exotic spice markets. Finally we will visit the Archaeological Museum which houses an extensive and interesting collection of artifacts of ancient Mesepotamia.

Day 11 ~ Palmyra

This morning we will leave Aleppo and travel to Tell Mardikh, a village in the prehistoric religious metropolis of Ebla. 15,000 clay tablets were unearthed here whose analysis provided much information about the culture of the Sumerians and what became of them. Our next stop is Hama, at the river Oronttes, famous for its water wheels; it is also mentioned in the Old Testament. Then we will continue on to Palmyra (the city of palm trees).

Day 12 ~ Palmyra

Palmyra has come to be regarded as one of the most historic cities in the world and has the most to offer of all the antique markets throughout Syria. As early as the 2nd millennium BC, Palmyra has played a very important role in history as a vital staging post for caravans traveling from the Mediterranean to the countries of the Gulf, and acted also as a link with the Silk Road. The city prospered from taxing the caravans, so in 130 AD when the ruling dynasty fell, the Roman Emperor Hadrian proclaimed it as a free city and allowed it to set and collect its own taxes. Queen Zenobia figured prominently in Palmyra's history in the third century. The ruins are breathtaking and ancient; the Temple of Bel was already 2000 years old when the Persians, Romans, and Alexander the Great occupied the city.

 

Day 13 ~ Byblos
This morning we will cross the Lebanese border to Baalbek, where we will see the Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus temples whose construction began approximately 60 BC. These are likely the most beautiful and complete monuments of the ancient world. Afterward we will travel further along the Mediterranean coast before arriving at our hotel in Byblos.

 

 

Day 14 ~ Beirut

In Jbail (antique Byblos), we will see one of the oldest cultural sites in the Near East and have a panoramic view of the excavation of the Crusaders Castle. Next we will visit the Crusader Church of St. John the Baptist. Then we will continue on to Beirut, with a city excursion to view the results of the turmoil of war and the reconstruction of the city before visiting the National Archaeological Museum. Afterward we will board a cable car to travel to Harissa with its gigantic statue of the Virgin of Lebanon (the protecting patroness of Lebanon) and from where we will have a beautiful view over the bay of Junieh.

 

Day 15 ~ Beirut

Today we will visit En Nabi Younes to honor the grave of Jonah before continuing on to Saida (ancient Sidon). Built on a promontory with an offshore island, this site figured prominently in Phoenician trading history. It was famous for the production of murex, the mollusk that made the famous purple dye. Then we will travel further to Sarafand, the Zarephath or Sarepta of the story of Elijah before visiting Sour, the biblical Tyre and the most important harbor of the Phoenicians. There we will explore the gigantic excavations with their Roman streets, Hippodrome, and Byzantine basilica .

Day 16 ~

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight from Beirut to the United States.