Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus

Maaloula

A hotel in Maaloula. Maaloula is a mountain village north-east of Damascus, one of the few places where Western Aramaic is still spoken, known for its monasteries of St Thecla and St Sergius.

Maaloula

A Greek Orthodox convent at the foot of the cliffs in Maaloula, built around the cave said to hold the tomb of St Thecla, a disciple of St Paul. Nearby runs the Fajj, a narrow gorge that legend says opened in the rock to let Thecla escape her pursuers.

Maaloula

The Qalamoun Mountains are part of the Anti-Lebanon range north of Damascus: dry plateaus and heights cut by valleys and rocky gorges. Known towns such as Maaloula, Saidnaya, Yabroud, al-Nabk and Qara lie among them, and the area is famous for its old monasteries.

Ain at-Tina

A restaurant in Ain at-Tina. Ain at-Tina is a village in Rif Dimashq governorate, about 42 km north-east of Damascus.

Ain at-Tina

A restaurant in Ain at-Tina. Ain at-Tina is a village in Rif Dimashq governorate, about 42 km north-east of Damascus.

Al-Qutayfah

Khan al-Arus is a fortified caravanserai of the Ayyubid period on the old road between Damascus and Homs near al-Qutayfah, attributed to Saladin in the late 12th century; some historians called it Khan al-Sultan. The building is square, about 40 metres on each side, and built of large stone blocks.