Syria

Syria the Syrian Arab Republic is one of the largest states of the Middle East and its capital is Damascus. In addition, the country possesses a long coastline on the east Mediterranean Sea.

Syrian culture:
Culture of Syria is linked to its heritage and to the influences inherited from the various civilizations which succeeded each other over its lands: its libraries are full of rare manuscripts, priceless paintings and works of art. These libraries are found in the various cultural and educational institutions. .

Syrian Cuisine
The Syrian cuisine is varied and rich, thanks to the fertility of Syrian land and the abundance of crops which enable the cook to be a master and to diversify his choice and talent in the preparation
of fresh meals made of vegetables and meats.

.The Syrian table is always decorated with various delicious pastries famous all over the world. Travelers do not miss to take with them upon their leaving the country, samples of these sweets
to give them as presents to their friends and family. These desserts are followed by fresh or dried fruits grown in Syrian fields.

Health is also taken into account through fresh drinking water, which is available abundantly in Syria locally as pure mineral water and varieties that have origins in the mountains.

Facts:
Syria has a population of 17.8 million people (UN, 2003), of which 6 million are concentrated in the capital Damascus. A moderately large country (185,180 sq km or 72,150 sq miles), Syria is situated centrally within the Middle East region and has land borders with Turkey in the north, with Israel and Lebanon in the south, and with Iraq and Jordan in the east and south-east respectively.

The population of Syria is predominately Arab (90%), with large minorities from other ethnic groups: Kurds, Armenians, Circassians and Turks. The official language is Arabic, but other tongues are widely spoken and include Kurdish, Armenian, Turkish, French and English. The Syrian Republic is officially secular, but in nonetheless greatly influenced by the majority religion of Islam (90% of the population, split between 74% Sunni Muslim and 16% other Muslim). There is a large Christian minority that amounts to about 10% of the population.


The Omayyad Mosque
This Great Mosque stands at the heart of the Old city at the end of Souq al-Hamidiyeh. It was built by the Omayyad Caliph al-Walid ibn Abdul Malek in 705 A.D. when Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire.

It was constructed on the site of what has always been a place of worship: first, a temple for Hadad, the Aramean god of the ancient Syrians three thousand years ago; then, a pagan temple (the temple of Jupiter the Damascene) during the Roman era. It was later turned into a church called John the Baptist when Christianity spread in the fourth century. Following the Islamic conquest in 635, Muslims and Christians agreed to partition it between them, and they began to perform their rituals side by side.

When al-Walid decided to erect an impressive mosque suited to the grandeur of the Arab state «whose like was never built before, nor will ever be built after» as he is reported to have said he negotiated with the Christian community of Damascus, and undertook to construct a new church for them (St. John>s) and allot several pieces of land for other churches, if they relinquished their right to their part of the Mosque. They agreed. It took ten years and eleven million gold dinars, as well as a huge number of masons, artists, builders, carpenters, marble-layers, and painters to complete. It became an architectural model for hundreds of mosques throughout the Islamic world.

A prominent feature of it are the three minarets built in different styles; the upper parts of which were renovated during the Ayoubite, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras. The mosque has a large prayer hall and an enormous courtyard. The interior walls are covered with mosaic panels, made of coloured and gilded glass, portraying scenes from nature. The dome is greyich-blue, celebrated for its magnificence. The prayer hall contains domed shrine venerated by both Christians and Muslims, the tomb of St. John the Baptist.

Entry Regulations:
Visas are needed for most individual travellers. In Amman Syrian visas are issued within one day when you bring a recommendation letter of your embassy. It is however important that there is no evidence of a visit to Israel in your passport, ie a entry stamp or visa, likewise you shouldn’t say that you have or will travel to Israel to officials in the embassy or at the border.

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 185,180 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
water: 1,130 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,253 km
border countries:
Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375
km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
193 km
Climate:
mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August)
and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
Terrain:
Primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
Highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources:
Petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Geography :
There are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)
Population:
18,881,361
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 (July 2006 est.)
Nationality:
Syrian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Languages:
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Country name:
Conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic
Conventional short form: Syria
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
Local short form: Suriyah
Former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Government type:
Republic
Capital:
Damascus
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda’, Dar’a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
Independence:
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Currency :
Syrian pound (SYP)
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds per US dollar - 51.689 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002)
note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03 are the parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut; the official rate for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during 2004-06,

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