Saturday. Welcome to Damascus, a city steeped in rich, biblical and Islamic history and home of some of the world’s greatest civilisations. Airport arrival and included transfer to your hotel. Overnight - Damascus

Damascus is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and the Umayyad Mosque stands on a site that has been considered sacred ground for at least 3,000 years! The Old City is practically a living museum, that has witnessed many empires rise and fall and boasts a truly fascinating history. A thriving modern metropolis now surrounds the Old City, filled with bustling bazaars, winding alleys and numerous mosques. Enjoy a full day’s touring of the city’s historic heart, including the beautiful Ottoman Azem Palace, the tomb of Saladin and the Grand Mosque Umayyad Mosque. Filled with exquisite guilded mosaics, the mosque is without doubt one of the greatest architectural creations of its time and one of the most important sites in the Islamic World. Even the desecrations, earthquakes and fires of the intervening centuries have done little to detract from its majesty and grandeur. We continue on to Straight Street, the baptism site of Apostle Paul, St. Ananias Church with its sunken crypt and Hamedieh bazaar. There is a delightful array of middle eastern treasures, antiques, spices and handicrafts to be discovered. Tonight, we enjoy a traditional Damascene meal in the Old City. Overnight - Damascus (B, D)

Damascus – Palmyra. Today we drive to ancient Palmyra. The politically important, extremely affluent, 2nd century BC ruinous town is located on the caravan trade routes connecting Persia, India, China and the Roman Empire. The extensive ruins at Palmyra reveal the network plan of the ancient city. The Corinthian order marks almost all the monuments, but the influence of Mesopotamia and Iran is also apparent. As we walk the colonnaded street leading to the ruined city we find most of the monuments and tombs reflect the artwork and influences of the ancient Roman and Persian empires. We tour the preserved theatre, fascinating museum, the striking Ba’al temple and the Valley of Tombs. Overnight - Palmyra (B)

Palmyra – Aleppo. On the way to Aleppo – the main city of northern Syria, stop off at the once mighty, now ruined city of Rasafeh. Climb the walls to get great views of the remaining buildings and the desert. Then visit Al’Assad lake on the Euphrates River, where we take a relaxing boat trip around the pink fortress - the Ja’abar citadel. Overnight - Aleppo (B)

This morning we visit the museum, the magnificent and huge Citadel which contains the beautifully designed Great Mosque (also known as the Umayyad Mosque) and the old covered bazaar – a complicated maze of narrow cobbled streets where you can find anything from gold to clothes to various foods and spices. In the afternoon drive to the impressive Basilica of St Simeon, who became famous because he lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for about 40 years! Afterwards we head back to Aleppo. In the evening the group gets together for dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight - Aleppo (B, D)

Aleppo - Damascus. Today we travel to the remarkably beautiful and extremely well preserved crusader castle of Krac des Chevaliers. Author Paul Theroux described Krac des Chevaliers (French for ‘Fortress of Knights’) in Syria as the epitome of the dream castle of childhood fantasies. T.E. Lawrence simply called it ‘the finest castle in the world’. The UNESCO Listed castle looks almost exactly as it would have 800 years ago. It guards the only major pass between Antalya in Turkey and Beirut in Lebanon; it was built and expanded between 1150 and 1250 and eventually housed a garrison of 2000. Withstanding continual attack throughout the period, the castle finally fell to Mamluk Sultan Beybar in 1271. Afterward we tour the small, richly historic and biblical village of Ma’alula. The predominantly Christian village with a population of about 2,000, still speak Aramaic – the language of Jesus. Home of two ancient Christian monasteries (Mar Sarkis and Mar Taqla) we will explore the area and often encounter faithful Christian and Muslim pilgrims seeking blessing within this holy village. We drive onward to Damascus. Overnight - Damascus (B)

Today offers time to independently explore the nation’s capital your own way. Consider wandering the labyrinth Old City, discover the Jewish Quarter or shop till you drop in one of the many bazaars or just relax. Overnight - Damascus (B)

Saturday. Our tour ends after breakfast (B)