Featured places
Mosques, caravanserais, souks, museums — and why they are worth the walk.
4 Places
Qal’at Sukkara
An Ayyubid-Mamluk hilltop garrison on Mount Abdulaziz, 35 km south-west of Al-Hasakah: four ruined towers, five rock-cut wells, a stucco dome, and access notes.
Hasakah · Ayyubid — Mamluk
Sa’neh Roman Fort
A square Roman frontier fort with 12 towers at 1365 metres east of Jabal al-Arab: basalt walls up to 3 metres high, planned in 1990 and never excavated.
As-Suwayda · Roman
Qalaat al-Riba (Riba Castle), Salamiyah
A semicircular fortification on a basalt hill 12 kilometres north of Salamiyah: dry-laid basalt blocks, a single gate on the west and Roman-era tombs on the slopes.
Hama · Disputed: Middle Bronze Age or Hellenistic
Burj Zara, a Crusader Tower near Talkalakh
An 11 m square Crusader tower on an ancient temple platform in al-Zarah, west of Homs. Basalt with reused white limestone, and one of the best preserved in the area.
Homs · Crusader