How many days do you need in Idlib?
One day is enough: al-Bara and Serjilla in the Jebel Zawiya in the morning, Qalb Lozeh in the Jebel al-A'la in the afternoon. The drive between them is long, so start early. With a second day, go on to the mound of Ebla, to smaller villages such as Ruweiha and Deir Sunbul, or across to the monastery of Saint Simeon. Do not set aside a day for the city centre — there is not enough standing there to fill one.
- Suggested length
- 1–2 days
- Total visiting time across these places
- 8 hours 45 minutes
- Best season
- March–May, October–November
Ready-made routes
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By car · 1 dayA second day in Idlib: from Ebla to Saint Simeon
A second day in Idlib, 190 kilometres: the palace archive under Ebla, the Byzantine basilica at Ruweiha, and Mar Semaan in the north. A long driving day, hour by hour.
By car · 1 dayOne day in the Dead Cities: al-Bara, Serjilla and Qalb Lozeh
Three Dead Cities from Idlib by car: the largest, the best preserved, and the church at Qalb Lozeh. 180 kilometres in all, about five hours driving. Start early.
What to see
Idlib · Byzantine periodRuweiha, a Dead City in Idlib
One of the largest Dead Cities on Jabal al-Zawiya: the standing arch of the Bissos church, a second basilica, mansions and a two-storey market building.
Maarat al-Numan · 16th-century khanThe Maarat al-Numan Mosaic Museum
Roman and Byzantine mosaics from the churches of the Dead Cities, housed in an Ottoman caravanserai. Badly damaged in the war and open to visitors again.
Harim · 10th centuryHarim Castle
A castle on a mound above the Amuq plain, holding the Antioch to Aleppo road. Byzantine in origin, it changed hands six times between Crusaders and Zengids.
Idlib · 5th centurySerjilla
The best preserved of Syria's Dead Cities: a bath house, an andron and two-storey stone houses, roofless but standing. Built around 473, empty by the 7th century.
- Idlib · 5th century
The Church of Qalb Lozeh
A basilica built around 460. The two towers of its west front, with a wide arch between them, are the earliest known version of the Romanesque facade.
Idlib · 4th to 6th centuryAl-Bara
The largest of the Dead Cities. Two pyramid-roofed tombs, churches and olive presses on an industrial scale, with a working village standing inside the ruins.
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- The answer on this page is written by hand. The lists are built from published records tied to this city and grow on their own as records are added.
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Last updated
- August 28, 2026