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Tourist
Information |
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To
plan your trip, here are some of the
practical details you should know
about Syria: |
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Entry
Visa to Syria
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Most
of the nationalities (especially
European and Northern American) can
obtain the visa
upon arrival in Damascus
Airport. Visa's can be obtained in
advance from Syrian Consulates
and Embassies. |
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Hotels
and Rest Houses |
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Syria
is well equipped with 5*,4*,3* hotels
thought out the country. 5* Hotels are
operated
by local groups and well known
International chains such us Meridian
Hotel and Sheraton
Hotel. |
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Food
and Drinks |
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Syrian
food reflects the influences of its
neighboring countries and its history.
A close
resemblance to Lebanese cuisine
is not surprising. Middle Eastern hors
d'oeuvres "Mezze"
may consist of two or three
dishes, or a table laden with thirty
or forty of hot and cold dishes
Mezze. They may include hummus a
puree of chick peas with sesame oil,
lemon and
garlic, eaten by scooping it up
with small piece of flat Arabic pita
bread. The same
technique is used with other
dishes. More mezze components might be
stuffed vine leaves,
spicy meat balls, liver and
other items of offal. In Main courses,
lamb and chicken are the
basis of most main dishes. Shish
Kebab in Syria means minced lamb,
pressed into small
patties and grilled on skewers.
Shish taouk is similar but using
chicken. Syria is famous in
its sweat, it is known as the
country were they have the best Middle
Eastern sweats.
Baklava is a delicious fine filo
pastry filled with nuts and soaked
with a honey solution, and
Kounafa resembles shredded wheat
soaked in honey. Coffee is
concentrated and black,
unless you ask for Nescafe (the
generic term for instant), usually
flavored with cardamom.
Tea is even more popular, served
without milk but usually with mint and
sugar is optional.
Local
and International beer, wine and
spirits are available through out the
country. The
local alcoholic drink that is
popular with Arabic dishes is Arak,
nice flavored liquor that is
mixed with water and ice. |
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Climate |
Summers
are hot and humid on the coast
(although there is scarcely any rain),
mostly
desert; hot, dry, sunny summers
(June to August), reaching day
temperatures of over 45C
(113 F). Winters are cool and
mild, with occasional rain, especially
in the mountains, where
snow is also quite common, but
there can be warm sunny days too
(December to
February).
Spring
is the best time for a visit, followed
by autumn.
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Clothing |
You
won’t need much formal wear, though
in general Arab custom expects you to
dress
more conservatively than you
might back home, especially if your
visits include a mosque.
Pack a sun-hat and add a sweater
for cool evenings even in summer,
raincoat in the winter.
Good Walking shoes are vital and
easy to-kick off sandals or moccasin
for the mosques
where women need to wear a
headscarf. Include insect repellent
and sun block |
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Money |
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The currency is the Syrian Pound
or lira SYP. It is nominally divided
into 100 piasters, but in
practice only paper money from
SYP 5 to 500 is in general use.
Foreign currency and
travelers cheques may be changed
at branches of Syria Commercial Bank,
exchange
offices and large hotels.
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds per US dollar -
(Official rate): 11.23 (2002)
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Tipping |
Waiters
and taxi drivers expect a tip of about
10%. Even where restaurant bills
include
services charge, your waiter
will still expect an additional cash
tip of 5 to 10%. |
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Electricity
and Water |
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The
electrical system is based on 220 AC
Volt, 50 Cycles, and requires rounded
two round
pins/prong wall plug. Visitors
from North America will need a
transformers / adapter.
Tap water is safe to drink in
the main towns and cities, although
many people prefer bottled
water. |
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Shopping |
The
souks of Damascus and Aleppo are
filled with traditional craft work. At
the crafts centre
next door to the Tekiyeh Mosque
in Damascus you can see a whole range
of products.
Here and elsewhere, you can see
weavers in action and glassblowers in
their oven like work
shops, turning out flasks, vases
and lamps in green and a vivid
turquoise. Then there are the
traditional Arabic clothes and
water pipes / hubble-bubble. Syria is
famous in Marquetry and
Veneer. Ornate background and
chess boards, boxes and even large
items of furniture are
inlaid with rosewood and bone,
highlighted with mother of pearl. A
small tip, never accept
the price written on the item,
always barging and you will be
surprised how much cheaper
you can buy the item. |
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Time
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two hours from GMT. Seven hours ahead
of US eastern standard time.
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Business
Hours |
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Friday and Saturday are the weekly
holidays. Government offices and most
business are closed.
Banks are open from Sunday to
Thursday from 08h30-15h00.
Business Offices are open from
08h30-13h30 and from 15h30-18h30.
Government offices are open only
from 08h30-14h00
Shopping Hours are flexible,
most shops open from 09h30 till 22h00
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Hoildays |
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Several
national holidays are observed on the
same day every year:
Revolution day (March 8 1)
Independence Day (April 17)
Labor Day (May 1)
Martyrs Day (May 6)
Christmas Day (December 25)
Several Islamic religious
holidays are observed by their precise
dates vary by about two
weeks every year in line with
the Islamic calendar that is used to
determine religious
holidays:
Muslim New Year
Prophets Birthday
Eid Al Fiter
Eid Al Adha |
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Medical
Services |
Medical
services are excellent in Syrian
larger cities and towns. Most doctors
are bilingual
in Arabic and English. All
hotels have a doctor on call,
embassies can also suggest a
doctor or a hospital.
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Useful
Numbers |
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Police:
112
Fire Service: 113
First Aid Ambulance: 110
Traffic Police: 115
Flight Information: +
963-1-430400 or 430405 |
| >> Geography |
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Location |
| Middle
East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Lebanon and Turkey
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Border
Countires |
| Iraq
605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km,
Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
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Elevation
extremes
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lowest
point: unnamed location near Lake
Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon
2,814 m
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Natural
resources
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petroleum,
phosphates, chrome and manganese ores,
asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble,
gypsum, hydropower
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People |
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Population |
17,585,540
(July 2002 est.)
note: in addition, about 40,000
people live in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights - 20,000
Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000
Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli
settlers (February 2003
est.) (July 2003 est.)
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Ethnic
groups |
| Arab
90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other
9.7%
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Religions
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Sunni
Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other
Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various
sects)
10%, Jewish (tiny communities in
Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) |
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Languages |
Arabic
(official); Kurdish, Armenian,
Aramaic, Circassian widely understood;
French,
English somewhat understood |
| >> Government |
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Country
name |
conventional
long form: Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic
(with Egypt)
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah
al Arabiyah as Suriyah |
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Government
type |
| republic
under military regime since March 1963
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Capital |
| Damascus |
| >>
Transportation |
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Driving |
You
need a national driving license and
also an International driving license,
obtained from
your home country. Roads are
generally adequate but may be potholed
in places. Drive on
the right hand side.
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Public
Transport |
Start
and private bus companies run regular
services connection all the main
cities and
towns, starting from central bus
stations or the company's own
terminal. Cheaper buses
and minibuses operate on the
service system, waiting until they are
full before departing,
and stopping anywhere along a
fixed route to drop off and pick up
passengers. Service taxis
are a comfortable and quick
alternative, but much more expensive.
Within cities, taxis are
readily available and
inexpensive. |
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Car
Rental |
Hiring
a car is a convenient way of getting
around, and reasonably economical.
Some of the
international companies are
represented in Syria, these are also
good local companies. To
rent a car you need to hold a
valid driving license and an
International driving license and to
be over 21 year old.
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Airports |
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International
and charter flights fly into Damascus International Airport, which lies 29 km (18
miles) southeast of the city.
There are buses to the city centre,
and taxis are always
available. The journey takes 30
minutes.
Check-in for international
flights is two hours before the flight
time. A departure tax is
charged, payable in local
currency.
Internal flights connect
Damascus and Aleppo, and both of these
cities to Qamishle.
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Railways |
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Trains,
usually only one per day, run on two
main lines: from Damascus to Aleppi,
Deir ez
Zor and Qamishle in the
northeast, and from Aleppo to the
Mediterranean coastal towns
( Lattakia, Tartus), Homs and
Damascus.
Hejaz Railway trains connect
Damascus with Amman. Taxi service is
also available
between Damascus and Amman and
Beirut
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Communication |
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Telephone
system |
The
telephone system is being modernized
and generally works well. The outgoing
international code is 00. You
can make calls from telecommunications
office, where you
can
also
buy cards for the new card operated
phones. Fax messages can be sent and
received thought a few top
hotels.
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Media |
Radio, TV and printed media are under
government control. The Syria Times is
a daily
newspaper in English, and list
of the times of Syrian radio and TV
programs in English and
French.
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Postal
Services |
Postal
services work, although quite slowly.
Airmail reaches most European
destinations in
4 to 6 days. |
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