UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Syria
Syria has 6 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (6 cultural), the first inscribed in 1979 (Ancient City of Damascus). 6 sites are on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The map below plots every one of them alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 6
- Cultural
- 6
- Natural and Mixed
- 0
- First Inscribed
- 1979
Map of World Heritage Sites in Syria
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Syria. Click a dot to read about the site.
Ancient City of Damascus
Syria · 33.5111° N, 36.3064° E · 1 km² · 1 km from Damascus
The old city of Damascus (Arabic: دِمَشْق ٱلْقَدِيمَة, romanized: Dimašq al-Qadīmah) is the historic city centre of Damascus, Syria. The old city, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, contains numerous archaeological sites, including some historical churches and mosques. Many cultures have left their mark, especially Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic. In 1979, the historical center of the city, surrounded by walls of Roman era, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In June 2013, UNESCO included all Syrian sites on the list of World Heritage in Danger to warn of the risks to which they were exposed because of the Syrian civil war. Within it lies the monumental Umayyad mosque, one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Old city of Damascus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Ancient City of Damascus Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
- (vi)
- A direct association with events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance.
More about Ancient City of Damascus
UNESCO's Description
Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, it was the centre of a flourishing craft industry, specializing in swords and lace. The city has some 125 monuments from different periods of its history – one of the most spectacular is the 8th-century Great Mosque of the Umayyads, built on the site of an Assyrian sanctuary.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Ancient City of Bosra
Syria · 32.5181° N, 36.4817° E · 1 km² · 22 km from As Suwayda
The Ancient City of Bosra is an archaeological site located in the city of Bosra, Syria. The site illustrates the Roman, Byzantine and Muslim civilizations, and was inscribed by UNESCO on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1980.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ancient City of Bosra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Ancient City of Bosra Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (vi)
- A direct association with events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance.
More about Ancient City of Bosra
UNESCO's Description
Bosra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, was an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca. A magnificent 2nd-century Roman theatre, early Christian ruins and several mosques are found within its great walls.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Bosra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, was an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca. A magnificent 2nd-century Roman theatre, early Christian ruins and several mosques are found within its great walls.
In 1980, the Ancient City of Bosra was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, following the criteria (i), (iii) and (vi). The protected area is of 116.2 hectares (287 acres), while the buffer zone comprehends 200.4 hectares (495 acres).
However, in 2017, the site was inscribed in the list of World Heritage in Danger, because of armed conflict in the country.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ancient City of Bosra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key Facts
| Established | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Area | 1.2 km² |
Facts from Wikidata Q15727412 (CC0).
Palmyra
Syria · 34.5600° N, 38.2672° E · 16 km² · 2 km from Tadmur
Palmyra is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second millennium BCE. Palmyra changed hands on a number of occasions between different empires before becoming a subject of the Roman Empire in the first century CE.
The city grew wealthy from trade caravans; the Palmyrenes became renowned as merchants who established colonies along the Silk Road and operated throughout the Roman Empire. Palmyra's wealth enabled the construction of monumental projects, such as the Great Colonnade, the Temple of Bel, and the distinctive tower tombs. Ethnically, the Palmyrenes combined elements of Amorites, Arameans, and Arabs. Socially structured around kinship and clans, Palmyra's inhabitants spoke Palmyrene Aramaic, a variety of Western Middle Aramaic, while using Koine Greek for commercial and diplomatic purposes. The Hellenistic period of West Asia influenced the culture of Palmyra, which produced distinctive art and architecture that combined different Mediterranean traditions.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Palmyra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Palmyra Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
Archaeological Record: Palmyra (Tadmor)
Wealthy Syrian desert oasis nexus mediating Silk Road trade between Rome and Parthia; capital of Queen Zenobia before reconquest by Aurelian.
- Site type
- Oasis Caravan Metropolis
- Ancient name
- Palmyra
- Ancient province
- Syria Coele
- Occupation
- 300 BCE to 273 CE
Pleiades gazetteer: 668331
More about Palmyra
UNESCO's Description
An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
The area has a rich history of human habitation, with evidence of Paleolithic settlements. The site was inhabited during several periods in the Neolithic (10,000–4500 BC). In the area of Tell ez-Zor, an artificial hill in the vicinity of the Efqa Spring, traces of human settlement dates as far back as the Prepottery Neolithic A period, with a three-unit architectural complex dating to the Prepottery Neolithic B period. In the Efqa Spring site, a Neolithic settlement existed, with stone tools dated to 7500 BC.
Archaeological sounding in the tell beneath the Temple of Bel uncovered a Bronze Age mud-brick structure built around 2500 BC, followed by different Bronze Age and Iron Age structures.
Economy
Palmyra's economy before and at the beginning of the Roman period was based on agriculture, pastoralism, and commerce; the city served as a rest station for the caravans which sporadically crossed the desert. By the end of the first century BC, the city had a mixed economy based on agriculture, pastoralism, taxation, and, most importantly, the caravan trade. Taxation was an important source of revenue for the Palmyrene government. Caravaneers paid taxes in the building known as the Tariff Court, where a tax law dating to AD 137 was exhibited. The law regulated the tariffs paid by the merchants for goods sold at the internal market or exported from the city.
After Palmyra's destruction in 273, it became a market for villagers and nomads from the surrounding area.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Palmyra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Visiting Palmyra
Palmyra was the only oasis in Syria and perhaps the only truly tourist town.
Palmyra (the Roman name) was known as Tadmor to the Syrians. Both meant the same thing - date palm. The name came from the lush oasis adjacent to the city which was home to some million date palms.
Palmyra is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site; all six Syrian UNESCO-listed heritage sites are 'endangered' as of 2013.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Palmyra (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ancient City of Aleppo
Syria · 36.1833° N, 37.1500° E · 4 km² · 6 km from Aleppo
The Ancient City of Aleppo (Arabic: مدينة حلب القديمة, romanized: Madīnat Ḥalab al-Qadīma) is the historic city centre of Aleppo, Syria. Prior to the Syrian Civil War, many districts of the ancient city remained essentially unchanged since they were initially constructed between the 11th and 16th centuries. Being subjected to constant invasions and political instability, the inhabitants of the city were forced to build economically independent cell-like quarters and districts, most of which were delineated along ethnic and religious lines. These urban subdistricts, along with the ancient walled city that they surround, comprise an approximate area of 350 hectares (860 acres; 3.5 km2) and are home to more than 120,000 residents.
Characterized by its large mansions, narrow alleys, covered souqs and ancient caravanserais, the Ancient City of Aleppo became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
An estimated 30% of the Ancient City of Aleppo was destroyed in the Battle of Aleppo during the Syrian civil war, including many sections of the Al-Madina Souq and other structures dating back to medieval times.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ancient Aleppo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Ancient City of Aleppo Is Listed
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
More about Ancient City of Aleppo
UNESCO's Description
Located at the crossroads of several trade routes from the 2nd millennium B.C., Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans. The 13th-century citadel, 12th-century Great Mosque and various 17th-century madrasas, palaces, caravanserais and hammams all form part of the city's cohesive, unique urban fabric, now threatened by overpopulation.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Aleppo has scarcely been touched by archaeologists, since the modern city occupies its ancient site.
In the Early Bronze IV (c. 2350-2020 BCE), the nature of Aleppo is debated. This period at the end of the EBA was characterized by climate variability and severe droughts at 2210-2130 (4.2 ka event, Fall of the Akkadian Empire in 2154 BCE) and 2036-2023 BCE (Decline and Fall of Ur III in 2004 BCE).
Aleppo appears in historical records as an important city much earlier than Damascus. The first record of Aleppo may be from the third millennium BC if the identification of Aleppo as Armi, a city-state closely related to Ebla is correct. Armi has also been identified with the modern Tell Bazi. Giovanni Pettinato describes Armi as Ebla's alter ego.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ancient Aleppo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din
Syria · 34.7817° N, 36.2631° E · 36 km from Tartus
These two castles represent the most significant examples illustrating the exchange of influences and documenting the evolution of fortified architecture in the Near East during the time of the Crusades (11th - 13th centuries). The Crac des Chevaliers was built by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1142 to 1271. With further construction by the Mamluks in the late 13th century, it ranks among the best-preserved examples of the Crusader castles. The Qal’at Salah El-Din (Fortress of Saladin), even though partly in ruins, represents an outstanding example of this type of fortification, both in terms of the quality of construction and the survival of historical stratigraphy. It retains features from its Byzantine beginnings in the 10th century, the Frankish transformations in the late 12th century and fortifications added by the Ayyubid dynasty (late 12th to mid-13th century).
Description from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Why Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din Is Listed
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
Dead Cities
Syria · 36.3342° N, 36.8442° E · 123 km² · 31 km from Aleppo
The Dead Cities (Arabic: المدن الميتة, romanized: al-mudun al-mayyita) or Forgotten Cities (Arabic: المدن المنسية, romanized: al-mudun al-mansiyya) are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages grouped in eight archaeological parks situated in north-western Syria provide an insight into rural life in Late Antiquity and during the Byzantine period. Most of the villages, which date from the 1st to 7th centuries, were abandoned between the 8th and 10th centuries. The settlements feature the well-preserved architectural remains of buildings such as dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns and bathhouses. Important dead cities include the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites, Dahis, Serjilla, Ruweiha and al Bara.
The Dead Cities are situated in an elevated area of limestone known as Limestone Massif. These ancient settlements cover an area 20–40 km (12–25 mi) wide and some 140 km (87 mi) long. The Massif includes three groups of highlands: the first is the northern group of Mount Simeon and Mount Kurd; the second middle group is the group of Harim Mountains; the third southern group is the group of Zawiya Mountain.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Dead Cities (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Dead Cities Is Listed
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
- (v)
- An outstanding example of traditional human settlement or land use.
More about Dead Cities
UNESCO's Description
Some 40 villages grouped in eight parks situated in north-western Syria provide remarkable testimony to rural life in late Antiquity and during the Byzantine period. Abandoned in the 8th to 10th centuries, the villages, which date from the 1st to 7th centuries, feature a remarkably well preserved landscape and the architectural remains of dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns, bathhouses etc. The relict cultural landscape of the villages also constitutes an important illustration of the transition from the ancient pagan world of the Roman Empire to Byzantine Christianity. Vestiges illustrating hydraulic techniques, protective walls and Roman agricultural plot plans furthermore offer testimony to the inhabitants' mastery of agricultural production.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Chris Wickham, in the authoritative survey of the post-Roman world, Framing the Early Middle Ages (2006) argues that these were settlements of prosperous peasants which have few or no specifically urban features. The impressive remains of domestic architecture are the result of the prosperity of peasants who benefited from a strong international trade in olive oil at the end of Antiquity.
Another argument is that these were prosperous cities that flourished because they were located along major trade routes in the Byzantine Empire, and not merely prosperous peasant settlements. After conquest by the Arabs, the trade routes changed, and as a result, these towns lost the majority of the business which fostered their economies.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Dead Cities (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Visiting Dead Cities
The Dead Cities are a dispersed collection of world heritage-listed in Northwestern Syria. These Roman and Early Christian towns towns once formed part of Antioch. They have long since been abandoned but make an interesting stop for tourists.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Dead Cities (CC BY-SA 4.0).
World Heritage in Syria: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Syria?
- Syria has 6 World Heritage Sites: 6 cultural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Syria?
- Ancient City of Damascus, inscribed in 1979. The most recent is Dead Cities, inscribed in 2011.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Syria in danger?
- Yes: Ancient City of Damascus, Ancient City of Bosra, Palmyra, Ancient City of Aleppo, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din, Dead Cities are on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.