Practical information
Visas, border crossings, cash, SIM cards, getting between cities — where the plan is built.
145 Practical
The tells of Syria: cities under the soil
A mudbrick city falls and is rebuilt on itself, and the mound rises. What was found at each tell, which can be visited, what to look for and what not to expect.
Souqs in Syria: which one sells what
Damascus has seven separate souqs and each does a different job; in Aleppo they are gathered into one network. What is sold where, and which is for whom.
The Dead Cities of Syria: which one to visit
There are dozens of abandoned Byzantine villages and they are not alike. Which is easiest to reach, which is best preserved, what each has, and where to take care.
How to plan a trip to Syria, step by step
Decision, visa, tickets, cash, route, booking, packing and then the road itself. Eight steps and which page to read at each one; break the order and the plan breaks.
What you cannot take out of Syria
A coin, a lamp, a piece of mosaic: anything over roughly 200 years old counts as an antiquity and cannot leave. What you can buy, and what to say in the souq.
Sending money to Syria: hawala, transfers and cards
Bank transfers are still hard and cards are new and thin on the ground. Money arrives through transfer networks and is paid out in pounds. What each channel costs.
Pharmacies and medicine in Syria
The pharmacy is the first stop in Syria and no prescription is needed to ask. Most medicine is made locally. How to carry your own and find a night duty counter.
Water and food safety in Syria
Do not drink the tap water, and remember that ice is water too. What makes street food safe, what makes salad a gamble, and what to do about traveller diarrhoea.
Opening hours and the shape of the Syrian week
The weekend is Friday and Saturday and the working week runs Sunday to Thursday. Offices open at 08:00, shops shut at midday and open again at 18:00. Plan for it.
Where to stay in Damascus, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Old City, Salhiyeh or Mezzeh? Walking distances, evening noise and how easily a taxi turns up at night, for every Damascus district — and no hotel names.
Where to stay in Aleppo, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
Jdeideh, Aziziyeh or New Aleppo? How far to the citadel and the souq, how loud the evening is, how the power arrives — district by district, no hotel names.
Safety in damaged areas: rubble, ordnance and mines
Explosive remnants kill or injure someone in Syria every six hours. Where not to walk, what never to pick up, and what to do if you do find something.