Idlib to Maarat al-Numan: a day along the Aleppo–Damascus road

The road between Aleppo and Damascus crosses Idlib province end to end, and this route follows that line. It starts in the morning at a town 9 kilometres east of Idlib, carries on at midday to a mound, and ends in the afternoon at Maarat al-Numan. In all it is 52 kilometres, four stops. Two of the four were badly damaged in the war; the route does not hide them, it takes them in order.

The route

Head east out of Idlib; Sarmin is 9 kilometres. The mosque stands in the centre of the town, inside the old fabric, and the octagonal shaft of the minaret is the marker on the line. From here turn southeast and join the Aleppo–Damascus road. After 18 kilometres you reach Tell Mardikh, near Saraqib: the mound rises alone from the plain, shows from the road, and is signposted. The last stretch is on foot, with the car left below. Then keep south on the same road. After 25 kilometres you are in Maarat al-Numan, and the last two stops are within walking distance of each other. The Great Mosque stands in the middle of the town, beside the road; the museum is on the east side, on Abu al-Ala Street, and as the largest building on that street it is hard to miss.

Timing

Leave Idlib at 08:30. An hour at Sarmin is enough, so be back on the road at 09:30. You reach Ebla around 10:30, and the mound needs two hours: the excavated walls, the ceremonial stair of the palace and the temple foundations lie apart from one another and are covered on foot. Head south at 13:00 and be in Maarat al-Numan around 14:00. Forty minutes for the Great Mosque, an hour for the museum. Leave the museum for last: the mosaics sit under the porticoes of the four wings and in the halls facing the court, and take the light from the side in the afternoon. For the return to Aleppo or Idlib it is worth setting off before 16:00.

Take care

Ask about the current state of all four stops before setting out. Most of the Great Mosque of Sarmin was destroyed in the bombardment of 4 October 2023, and its state of repair changes; what you see may be the courtyard and the surviving row of domes. Repair work continues at the Great Mosque of Maarat al-Numan and part of the prayer hall may be closed. At Ebla the presence of a keeper varies and the fee is set at the entrance. The museum opens on almost every day, but its hours are not fixed. Minibuses run to the towns; even so, a car with a driver is the practical way to fit four stops into one day. There is no shade on the mound, so carry water. The ground is earth and uneven; wear solid shoes.