Syria

Established on April 17, 1946, Syria sits along the Mediterranean coast wedged between Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon. It boasts one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Ebla, that’s believed to be about 5,000 years old. The country is also home to the city of Aleppo, which has been occupied since 6,000 BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Playing a heavy role in modern Middle Eastern politics, Syria’s beauty and long-established history is often overlooked due to it’s consistent political unrest and recent civil war.

Syria is an Arab country with a largely Muslim population. Despite Arabic being the official language, English and French are widely understood by local Syrians. While tourism has been greatly reduced due to the ongoing armed conflict, popular tourist sites include the Capital of Damascus, the ancient ruins of Palmyra, and the ancient amphitheater of Busra. Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Daraa, Latakia, and Raqqa are amongst some of Syria’s major cities, but Aleppo and Damascus are the only two with a population exceeding 1 million residents.

In March of 2011, a peaceful uprising against the government and President, Bashar al-Assad, escalated into a violent civil war that is still active to this day. The war is being fought by numerous political and religious factions and multiple foreign countries, including Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the United States, have all been involved in the conflict in some way.