The Atlas Obscura Guide To Syria

16 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Syria

Updated October 22, 2025

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Cities

Unusual Attractions in Syria

Palmyra, Syria

Palmyra

Mysterious lost empire of the Silk Road.

Krak des Chevaliers

Safita, Syria

Krak des Chevaliers

Ruins of the Crusaders' headquarters.

A grand facade in Serjilla (Flickr/Laura and Fulvio’s photos)

Balshoon, Syria

Dead City of Serjilla

A 1,500-year-old ghost settlement is slowly fading away.

The palace entrance inside the Citadel of Aleppo.

Aleppo, Syria

The Citadel of Aleppo

One of the oldest and largest castles in the world.

The Castle of Masyaf (Flickr/Samuel Santos)

Masyaf, Syria

Musyaf Castle

The Syrian headquarters of alleged hashish-smoking assassins.

Shoppers visit the restored Souk al-Saqatiya in Aleppo, Syria, in November 2019.

Aleppo, Syria

Souk al-Saqatiya

Amid the rubble of Aleppo's Old Quarter, part of a historic market has been restored and re-opened.

6th Century Image of Saint Simeon

Syria

Church of Saint Simeon the Stylite

What is left of the pillar of Saint Simeon, the voluntary martyr who climbed the column to give his sermons, remaining perched there for thirty-seven years.

See All 16 Things To Do in Syria

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Ruins 5

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Sacred Spaces 3

Architectural Oddities 2

Mosques 2

Monuments 1

Ancient 1

Waterworks 1

Shops 1

3d 1

Industrial 1

Shrines 1

Memento Mori 1

Relics And Reliquaries 1

Lost Tribes 1

Theaters 1

Archaeology 1

Mosaics 1

Markets 1

Roman 1

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Stories About Syria

The Syrian Cassette Archives website currently hosts 91 fully digitized cassettes, including interviews with artists and distributors.

The Quest to Preserve Syria's Cassette Tape Era

Keeping sounds, stories, and cultural memory alive through years of conflict.

by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing, Atlas Obscura

November 29, 2022

Seeds reside deep inside.

The Rare Seeds That Escaped Syria for an Arctic Vault

Formerly stashed at Svalbard, they've since sprouted in Morocco and beyond.

by Matt Simon, Atlas Obscura

December 2, 2020

Architect Sakher Oulabi (left) and engineer Tamim Kasmo in the courtyard of Aleppo’s Great Mosque.

Syrians Won't Give Up on the Great Mosque of Aleppo

In 2013, the mosque's minaret shattered into 2,000 pieces. A restoration team aims to put them back together.

by Chris Ray, Atlas Obscura

December 10, 2019

A New Crusade

How the mysterious, millennium-old, stateless Order of Malta outlived its contemporaries and established a place in the modern Middle East.

by Ariel Sophia Bardi, Atlas Obscura

September 29, 2019

Accept no substitutes: Authentic Aleppo soap bears its maker’s mark, and the Arabic name for the city of its origin.

In Syria, War and Modernity Are No Match for the World's Oldest Soap

The artisans of Aleppo keep plying their ancient trade, one bar at a time.

by Nora Wallaya, Atlas Obscura

Students at work in Mafraq.

Syrian Refugees Are Learning Stonemasonry to Rebuild Their Country

The apprentices hope to restore damaged buildings and monuments after the war ends.

by Sophie Yeo, Atlas Obscura