๐ Countries of the world ๐ Arab countries
Syria
๐ In short
Syria is an Arab country in West Asia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Damascus, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It has fertile plains, mountains, desert and the great River Euphrates.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- Syria's capital is Damascus.
- Saladin died in Damascus, where his tomb is.
- The currency is the Syrian pound.
- The Euphrates flows through northern and eastern Syria.
๐๏ธ Fact file
- Capital
- Damascus.
- Official language
- Arabic
- Official name
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Currency
- (100 piasters) One dollar equaled 52 Syrian pounds in 1999.
- Area
- 185,180 kmยฒ.
- Population
- (1998) 15,335,000 people.
๐ Find out more
๐ Fragrant Damascus
Damascus is a very ancient city, lived in for thousands of years. It has the great Umayyad Mosque with its golden mosaics, and old covered markets like Souq al-Hamidiyah.
๐ Aleppo and its citadel
Aleppo has a huge citadel on a high hill in the middle of the city, surrounded by a moat, one of the biggest and oldest citadels in the world.
๐ก Palmyra
In the Syrian desert lies the ancient city of Palmyra, an important caravan stop ruled by Queen Zenobia, with ancient columns and temples.
๐ฏ Age-old crafts
Syria is famous for beautiful handicrafts like olive-oil Aleppo soap, damask fabrics and wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Its famous dishes include kibbeh and muhammara.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 What is the capital of Syria?
2 Which queen ruled Palmyra?
3 Which picture shows โSyriaโ?
๐ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- (Ergo) ยท CC BY 2.0
- Vyacheslav Argenberg ยท CC BY 4.0
