Syria - Travelling of of beaten pathes - Searching tips

Thorn Tree forumCountry forumsMiddle EastSyria
Enter custom title (optional)
This topic is locked
Last reply was
2.1k
…
Send as an e-mail
Send as an e-mail
abuwalad
abuwalad

Hi !

I'm traveling in Syria, for the sixth time, on mid-September.

Intending to travel out of the beaten pathes, to discover the different faces of the country, I'm searching some tips :

  1. Does anyone went by his own's means to Qala'at Najm ? It seems to be easy to Manbij. From there, is it possible to take a bus or a micro and be dropped on the main road, on the crossing to the castle ? Does anyone had made, by walking, or hitching, the 15 km road (about) to the castle ? Is it possible to sleep there ?

  2. I want to visit the cattle markets in Raqqa and Deir az Zor (camels market) : in which place of the town or the suburbs does occur these markets and which day of the week ? (I think that, in Raqqa, it's on Sunday morning).

  3. Does anyone knows the ancient pilgrimage places north of Damascus, on Djebel Qassioun and around (cave of Mary and Jesus, cave of Cain and Abel, …) and how to find them ?

  4. Is there any difficulties, for the moment, to visit Al Bukamal, for a couple hours, on the road to or from Mari ? Is there any intersting place to see there (old quarter or building, mosques, souqs, …).

  5. Is it easy to go to Ras al 'Ayn from Hassakah for a day trip to the springs of the Khabur River ?

  6. Does anyone knows basic (and cheap) budget hotels in Suweida, Dera'a, Raqqa, Hassakah, Idlib, Ariha or Ma'arat an Numan ? A place out of wind and with a mattress would be convenient…

Thank you !

Daniel

View last reply
Report
1
george5
george5

Since you've already been to Syira six time you probably know more about the country than most peiople on here.
I usually rent a car when going there so I can't really say much on public transport - but if you are going to very remote places i would advise you to do so also. Alhtough it is on the pricely side, it saves a lot of time and you have a lot more flexibility in terms of looking for bduget accomodation if your chosen/planned hostel just happens to be closed when you arrive. Plus you can reach a lot of places much easier than by bus.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
2
buckettours
buckettours

How crazy is it to consider renting a car in Syria? I'm not too fussed on the Damascus traffic. But for the basic tourist circuit of Palmyra, Hama, Krak..., Afamia, Aleppo (too scarey?), is it to be recommended?

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
3
spdl
spdl

Bucket: In short, driving in Aleppo and Damascus is totally insane. It's not so bad elsewhere in the country, however.

If you do a forum search, you'll find some extremely lengthy prior discussions about driving in Syria which should answer your question fully.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
4
abuwalad
abuwalad

Thanks !

But I don't want to rent a car... I drive enough here !

It's possible to reach many places in Syria by public transport : this is one of the fact I like in this country. I have always traveled by bus and by walking, sometimes hitchings or taking a taxi (short distances, never morethan 250 LS). I have just taken two organised trips in Syria in five years (Qasr al Hayr ash sharqi an the Dead cities, north of Hama).

Last year, I and a french guy went from Deir az Zor (8h00 in the morning) to Raqqa (microbus), Al Mansurah (microbus), Rassafah (taxi : 200 LS) and return, microbus from Mansurah to Ath Thawrah, taxi (250 LS) to Qala'at Ja'abar and return, back from Thawrah to Raqqa (microbus, while my friend was leaving to Aleppo by bus) and back to Deir az Zor (microbus) to be in my bed at 22h00. And we didn't run...

Traveling by bus is one of the best moments, for me, on my daily excursions... As waiting in bus stations... Going by that way to remote places is a kind of challenge.

Daniel

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
5
zincou
zincou

salam Abu Walad,

I've been like you 6-7 times in Syria and i like, too, take the service or bus to meet people.
But last year i travel between differents points with a car (i get friends in Damascus) because i have not enough time to do what i looking for. I made new-different tourist tour in Syria so i have do to do some research. I will do the same this automn...

some point of views :

1 - I'll be there last year with my car. Alep-Manbij big road after quit the big road, turn right and left. I don't think there is service from there. You have to walk. It's easy, long but easy. Like other places in remotes places in Syria be careful of the dogs... When you get the Castle, some house are nearby with family. There is a mosquee too. I have no doubt that someone will take care of you and invite you. Last year, they ask me too sleep there (with a big fish menu) But i have no time, i have to be in Tadmor at night...

Have good time there, again and again

Have a beautiful travel.
Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
6
buckettours
buckettours

SPDL, thank you for the hint. I have since found many pieces of advice re driving (or not).

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
7
anonymous
anonymous

Question no. 3: I would like to go there as well. The only information I have got is a guide book in Arabic telling that you can walk to there from Shamdin Square (That's the square with the huge Abou Noor mosque).The walk takes 40 minutes. The first half of the way you can also take a taxi. You can ask for maqaam al-Arbaaeen or maghaarat-ad -dam (the blood cave).
Once I saw an article about it in an old issue of "Syria Today ", but I'm afraid that it's not accessible in their internet archive any more, I have just had a quick look there.
Good luck,-I would love to have a feedback after your visit there.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
8
abuwalad
abuwalad

Hi ! Thank you very much to all !

I've discovered those places of pilgrimage in a Middle-Age trip report (Ibn Batuta or Ibn Awqal, I forgot...) and in a recent newspaper article (not prescise...). I will find them this year and I will post my informations as soon as I will get them ! I will ask to Iranian pilgrims or guide in Damascus and walk...

Nobody has informations on budget hotels in the towns I asked ?

Danial

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report
9
zincou
zincou

Hi again Abu Walad,

If you read french you can found few hotels tips in this google book. About Hassake,Qamishle...
http://books.google.fr/books?id=DWpeNKP2-RgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false

I wait for your tips about the sites in Qassioun.

As salam

Have a beautiful travel.
Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
Permalink to this post
Report

This topic has been locked by a moderator.

Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner