Middle East - Anthony Ham [440]
The Royal Palace of Zimri-Lim, named after an 18th-century-BC ruler who controlled the most important of the trade routes across Syria into Mesopotamia, was enormous, measuring 200m by 120m. Comprising a maze of almost 300 rooms disposed around two great courtyards, it was protected by earthen ramparts. Today, sheltered from the elements by a modern protective roof – which provides much-needed shade and protection for the site from the baking Mesopotamian heat – the palace remains Mari’s main point of interest.
Adjacent to the palace, the crumbling mud mound is all that remains of an ancient ziggurat; the large concrete block on the summit will not be a highlight of your visit.
Microbuses travelling from Deir ez-Zur to Al-Bukamal (S£90, two hours) go right by Mari; buses will drop you at the turn-off from the highway (ask for Tell Hariri). From this same spot, it’s normally possible to pick up a passing microbus for the return trip to Deir ez-Zur.
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NORTHWEST OF DEIR EZ-ZUR
The road from Deir ez-Zur to Aleppo follows the Euphrates River for much of the way, with a number of worthwhile sights not far off the road. Rasafa is the stand-out highlight.
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VISITING RASAFA
With your own car, reaching Rasafa is relatively easy – the site lies 25km south of the main Aleppo-Deir ez-Zur highway; take the turn-off at Al-Mansoura. Some hotels in Palmyra (Click here) or Hama (Click here) organise long day trips that take in some of the sights.
Otherwise, take a bus to Raqqa from Aleppo (S£135, 2½ hours) or Deir ez-Zur (S£135, 2½ hours). From Raqqa, catch a microbus to Al-Mansoura (S£30, 20 minutes) then negotiate a driver (at least S£500 return) or wait for a lift to take you the 25km to the ruins. It’s just possible to visit Rasafa on a day trip by public transport from Aleppo or Deir ez-Zur (or even as a detour en route), but you have to be lucky with connections.
If you must stay overnight in dusty and largely unappealing Raqqa, the options are not impressive. The best of a bad lot is the overpriced Lazaward Hotel ( 216 120-22; Sharia Saqr Quraysh; s/d US$30/40; ), a three-star place with dirty carpets, sticky furniture and grotty bathrooms. There’s a decent rooftop restaurant.
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Rasafa
Striking Rasafa, an ancient, long-abandoned walled city, lies 25km south of the Euphrates highway, rising up out of the featureless desert like a mirage. It’s a fascinating place to explore, made all the more intriguing by its remote location. Bring a hat for protection against the sun as there’s no shelter.
HISTORY
Diocletian established a fort here as part of a defensive line against the Sassanian Persians late in the 3rd century AD. About this time a cult to the local martyr St Sergius began to take hold. Sergius, a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity, was executed for refusing to perform sacrifices to Jupiter. By the 5th century Rasafa had become an important centre of Christian worship and an impressive basilica had been built.
A century later the city was at the height of its prosperity. The Byzantine emperor Justinian (r AD 527–65) further fortified the growing settlement against the threat of Persian assault. Ultimately, this was to no avail as Rasafa capitulated to the eastern empire in 616. Following the Muslim Arab invasion of Syria, the city was occupied by Hisham abd al-Malek, who pursued an energetic building policy, adorning the existing city with a palatial summer residence.
Just seven years after Hisham’s death, the palace and city were razed by the Baghdad-based Abbasids, fierce rivals of the Umayyads. The city was finally abandoned when invading Mongols swept across northern Syria in the 13th century.
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NORTHEASTERN SYRIA: CROSSING INTO TURKEY
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