Routes
Tested itineraries, from half a day to a full week.
100 Routes
Down the Khabur: a day of tells from Hasakah to Deir ez-Zor
A one-way day down the lower Khabur from Hasakah to Deir ez-Zor, past the tells of Thannuris, Tabetu, Shadikanni and Dur-Katlimmu. 222 kilometres, hour by hour.
9 hours · 222.2 km · 5 stops · Hard
Hama’s khans and souq on foot: from Khan Burhan to the citadel mound
A three-hour walk through trading Hama: Khan Burhan, the Khan Rustem Pasha of 1556, the Ayyubid Long Market, the al-Hasanayn Mosque and an 1839 cathedral.
3 hours · 2.3 km · 5 stops · Easy
Aleppo to the Euphrates in two days: Lake Jabbul, Umm el-Marra, Emar and Qal’at Ja’bar
The old trade road from Aleppo to the Euphrates: Lake Jabbul, the 25-hectare Umm el-Marra mound, Emar of the tablets, the Balis minaret of 1210 and Qal’at Ja’bar.
15 hours · 378 km · 5 stops · Hard
Aleppo’s eastern quarters on foot: Qastal al-Harami to Bab al-Ahmar
A 2-kilometre walk through Aleppo’s eastern quarters: Qastal al-Harami of 1461, Bab al-Hadid, the Banqusa minaret, al-Sarawi of 1378 and the bath of Bab al-Ahmar.
3 hours · 2 km · 6 stops · Easy
20th-century Aleppo on foot: from Baghdad Station to Bab al-Jinan
A 2700-metre walk in Aleppo outside the walls: Baghdad Station of 1912, the 1949 Public Park, pink Villa Rose, the National Museum, the clock tower and a lost gate.
4 hours · 2.7 km · 6 stops · Easy
Aleppo’s Jdeideh on foot: the Catholic cathedrals and the Central Synagogue
Four Catholic churches in Jdeideh and the Central Synagogue within 800 metres: Mar Assia of 1500, the Maronite cathedral of 1873 and doors reopened after the war.
3 hours · 0.8 km · 5 stops · Easy
Aleppo’s southern road on foot: from Bab al-Maqam to al-Salihin
An 1800-metre walk south from Aleppo’s Bab al-Maqam: the Sakakini Mosque of 1371, Khayr Bak’s unused tomb, two Ayyubid madrasas and the shrine that named the gate.
3 hours · 1.8 km · 6 stops · Easy
North of Aleppo in a day: from Tell Qaramel to Marj Dabiq
A 133-kilometre day north of Aleppo: stone towers older than Göbekli Tepe, Arpad that held Assyria off for three years, Azaz and the 1516 field of Marj Dabiq.
9.5 hours · 133 km · 4 stops · Moderate
Tartus mountains day trip: Duraykish, Mashta al-Helu and Hosn Suleiman
A day in the hills east of Tartus: the springs of Duraykish, Our Lady’s Hill and the Cave of Lights at Mashta al-Helu, Hosn Suleiman temple and Sheikh Deeb Castle.
9 hours · 56.1 km · 5 stops · Moderate
Deir ez-Zor to Mayadin: Bouqras, Rahba Castle and Terqa in a day
A day down the right bank of the Euphrates: the Neolithic mound of Bouqras, the mud-brick Rahba Castle, the town of Mayadin and Terqa. A 144-kilometre round trip.
8 hours · 144 km · 4 stops · Moderate
From Daraa to the Yarmouk edge: a day trip to Tafas, Muzayrib and Tell Shihab
A day in rural western Daraa: Tafas’s old mosque, the Dion candidate Tell al-Ash’ari, the Hajj stop of Muzayrib and the Tell Shihab falls. 55 km, border area.
8.5 hours · 54.5 km · 5 stops · Moderate
Jableh to Baniyas: a day of coastal tells, the old harbour and Margat Castle
A coastal day from Jableh to Baniyas: Tell Tweini, a fishing harbour on ancient stone, the headland of Tell Sukas, the Baniyas seafront and black Margat Castle.
7 hours · 36.3 km · 5 stops · Easy
