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Syria- Monasteries and Boutique Hotels
Brief | Damascus | Krak de Chevalliers | Bosra/Qanawat | Monastery | Aleppo | Options/Prices
With the opening of Villa Moda- a chic boutique in the souq set within a converted 17th century old stable, and the opening up of several new boutique hotels( read: respectful restoration of vernacular buildings rather than new, design hotels), Damascus is set to to be the new style and cultural capital of the Middle East. Aleppo has also attracted the likes of Louboutin to build a holiday home in its Old Quarters.
This 10-day itinerary combines the most luxurious and chic boutique hotels in Syria with a stay in an ascetic, practicing monastery in the Syrian hills.
Day 1:Arrive in Damascus. Day spent at leisure and checking out the souks with a guide. Stop over at Villa Moda- a converted 15th century stable, have some of the world's best chocolates (the world's best chocolates are Syrian as the 2005 Paris Salon du Chocolat AwardS would have it) at Ghraoui, caftans, bed linens and stunning glassware. Admire, even if you decide not to buy, the fine workmanship of Syrian artisans- evident in everything from the wares for sale to the intricate ceilings and awnings in the many local restaurants you'd encounter in the pedestrianised alleys.
Based at the Art Hotel/Four Seasons or Beit Al Mamlouka.
Day 2: Visit Omayyad mosque, right at the end of the Souk Al-Hamadiyeh. The courtyard of the Omayyad Mosque is a particularly tranquil place to spend the evenings, just soaking in the atmosphere(make sure you're there before Maghrib prayers, when it gets busy). Visit Saladin's Mausoleum, located within the same premises as the Omayyad Mosque. Should prayers not be ongoing, take a seat in the prayer hall, soak in the atmosphere and contemplate the civilisations and histories revolving around this mosque.The legends and beliefs surrounding Omayyad Mosque are fascinating- Muslim tradition believes that the severed head of John the Baptist is contained in a silver capsule in the prayer hall although it has also been rumoured
that the Knights Templar
were in possession of
it. As tradition would
have it too, Christ, in
his second coming, would
descend from the highest
minaret of the Omayyad
Mosque. After the
mosque, partake of more
shopping through the
souks. It's unlikely
that you'd have covered
the whole souk in one
day yesterday!
Day 3:Visit the Krak des Chevaliers. The headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. The name partly derives from the Syrian word karak, meaning 'fortress'. The site described as "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world" by T.E. Lawrence, is one of the few castles where Crusader art in the form of frescoes is preserved. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 4:Visit Bosra and Qanawat. Bosra is the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century B.C. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 5-7:Travel to a monastery. Spend the night there in ascetic, suitably monastic conditions. Mar Mousa is a monastery dating back to the 6th century, tucked away in the Syrian mountains. Mentioned in hushed tones amongst those-in-the-know and long a by-word amongst savvy backpackers who frequently chart the territories that the rest of the world later 'discovers', Mar Mousa is, today, run as an ecumenical monastery hosting guests from around the world.
Food served during meal times is grown locally and some of the cheese derives from the monastery's own goats.Accommodations
and food are free but
guests should help out
with the chores.
Day 8-10: Transfer to Aleppo. Spend the day at leisure or at the hammam. An authentic hammam experience, far from your usual expectations of the sanitised, first-world spa but an experience not to be missed in Aleppo. The spa is male or female-only, according to the days of the week. Have pre-dinner drinks at Baron Hotel, whether or not you've decided to stay there. You'll be able to see Lawrence of Arabia's bar bill. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk mounted machine guns on the roof during World War 1, while rooms are named Agatha Christie or the Shah of Persia, in accordance with the historical person who'd once graced the halls of the hotel.
Explore the Citadel the next day. We'll arrange for you to be guided by the manager of the citadel, where possible. He has escorted personalities like the Queen Sophia of Spain through the citadel during her visit to Syria. On the last day, visit St Simeon and have a picnic on its grounds.
Day 10: Transfer back to Damascus for return flight home.
Urbane Nomads is also able to arrange for private concerts
in a 14th century Mamluke palace, with a tour of the mysterious tekkes of Aleppo. Syria combines very well with Lebanon and Jordan and the Istanbul-Aleppo route, plied by the likes of Agatha Christie and Lawrence of
Arabia, is also something offered by Urbane Nomads in spectacular contemporary style. Prices (Indicative Only)
USD2,500 pp on twin sharing basis.
For a pdf version of
the itinerary:
An itinerary through
Syria visiting its
cultural highlights,
with an accommodation
variety that combines
the country's most chic
boutique hotels with a
stay in an ascetic
practicing monastery.
A comprehensive
itinerary of Syria- from
favourites like Palmyra
and Krak des Chevaliers
to frequently overlooked
sites like Ugarit,
ecumenical temples on
the fringes of the
Anti-Lebanon mountain
range and the ancient,
pre-Christian temples in
Ma'aloula.
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With the opening of Villa Moda- a chic boutique in the souq set within a converted 17th century old stable, and the opening up of several new boutique hotels( read: respectful restoration of vernacular buildings rather than new, design hotels), Damascus is set to to be the new style and cultural capital of the Middle East. Aleppo has also attracted the likes of Louboutin to build a holiday home in its Old Quarters.
This 10-day itinerary combines the most luxurious and chic boutique hotels in Syria with a stay in an ascetic, practicing monastery in the Syrian hills.
Day 1:Arrive in Damascus. Day spent at leisure and checking out the souks with a guide. Stop over at Villa Moda- a converted 15th century stable, have some of the world's best chocolates (the world's best chocolates are Syrian as the 2005 Paris Salon du Chocolat AwardS would have it) at Ghraoui, caftans, bed linens and stunning glassware. Admire, even if you decide not to buy, the fine workmanship of Syrian artisans- evident in everything from the wares for sale to the intricate ceilings and awnings in the many local restaurants you'd encounter in the pedestrianised alleys.
Based at the Art Hotel/Four Seasons or Beit Al Mamlouka. Day 2: Visit Omayyad mosque, right at the end of the Souk Al-Hamadiyeh. The courtyard of the Omayyad Mosque is a particularly tranquil place to spend the evenings, just soaking in the atmosphere(make sure you're there before Maghrib prayers, when it gets busy). Visit Saladin's Mausoleum, located within the same premises as the Omayyad Mosque. Should prayers not be ongoing, take a seat in the prayer hall, soak in the atmosphere and contemplate the civilisations and histories revolving around this mosque.The legends and beliefs surrounding Omayyad Mosque are fascinating- Muslim tradition believes that the severed head of John the Baptist is contained in a silver capsule in the prayer hall although it has also been rumoured that the Knights Templar were in possession of it. As tradition would have it too, Christ, in his second coming, would descend from the highest minaret of the Omayyad Mosque.
After the mosque, partake of more shopping through the souks. It's unlikely that you'd have covered the whole souk in one day yesterday! Photo courtesy of Azlan Hashim.
Day 3:Visit the Krak des Chevaliers. The headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. The name partly derives from the Syrian word karak, meaning 'fortress'. The site described as "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world" by T.E. Lawrence, is one of the few castles where Crusader art in the form of frescoes is preserved. Overnight in Damascus.
Day 4:Visit Bosra and Qanawat. Bosra is the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century B.C. Overnight in Damascus.Photo courtesy of David Chambers
Day 5-7:Travel to a monastery. Spend the night there in ascetic, suitably monastic conditions. Mar Mousa is a monastery dating back to the 6th century, tucked away in the Syrian mountains. Mentioned in hushed tones amongst those-in-the-know and long a by-word amongst savvy backpackers who frequently chart the territories that the rest of the world later 'discovers', Mar Mousa is, today, run as an ecumenical monastery hosting guests from around the world.
Food served during meal times is grown locally and some of the cheese derives from the monastery's own goats.Accommodations and food are free but guests should help out with the chores. Photo courtesy of Jari Kurittu
Day 8-10: Transfer to Aleppo. Spend the day at leisure or at the hammam. An authentic hammam experience, far from your usual expectations of the sanitised, first-world spa but an experience not to be missed in Aleppo. The spa is male or female-only, according to the days of the week. Have pre-dinner drinks at Baron Hotel, whether or not you've decided to stay there. You'll be able to see Lawrence of Arabia's bar bill. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk mounted machine guns on the roof during World War 1, while rooms are named Agatha Christie or the Shah of Persia, in accordance with the historical person who'd once graced the halls of the hotel.
Explore the Citadel the next day. We'll arrange for you to be guided by the manager of the citadel, where possible. He has escorted personalities like the Queen Sophia of Spain through the citadel during her visit to Syria. On the last day, visit St Simeon and have a picnic on its grounds. Day 10: Transfer back to Damascus for return flight home.