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Saturday, May 23, 2015

Palmyra



The recent news of ISIS seizing Palmyra made me think back to my own trip there, when circumstances in Syria were very different.  I studied in Syria for about a year from 2004 to 2005, and I visited Palmyra in the spring of 2005.

I don't remember exactly how long my bus ride there was from Damascus, where I was living, but it was certainly a number of hours.  Palmyra's ruins were considered a "must see" in Syria despite their distance from the major cities, and, as might be expected, a good number of the people there made their living on tourism.  There are a lot of wonderful sites for both locals and visitors to see all over Syria, but this was the only place I visited in the country where restaurant owners routinely brought out guest books for me to sign.  It was also the only place where I saw a restaurant very prominently advertise a good review they had gotten from Lonely Planet several years before.

I thought I would share a few pictures I took there.  I'm wishing peace and safety for the people and cultural treasures of Palmyra with all of my heart.

Entrance to Palmyra


Side View of Temple Bel




View of Mountains and Palm Trees






Amphitheater



Citadel and Columns


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