Syria & Lebanon

by Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys

Sunlight on the ancient stones of Palmyra and Baalbek, the bustle of the Aleppo souq, the buzz of Beirut's nightlife, the decorative wonders of Damascene houses and picturesque villages beneath Mt Lebanon - our definitive guide is your essential companion in every corner of this diverse and hospitable region. • TEMPT YOUR TASTEBUDS with our dedicated Food & Drink chapter covering the region's mouth-watering cuisine written by expert authors and chefs
• CONNECT WITH CULTURE through our comprehensive exploration of Syrian and Lebanese society and daily life
• UNRAVEL THE PAST with our in-depth coverage of the region's lengthy history and myriad historic sites
• FIND YOUR WAY using our 68 detailed maps, including customized itineraries maps and a full-color regional map
• TALK THE TALK with the help of our Arabic language chapter

Genres: Travel

424 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voy a viajar a Siria o a Líbano? La verdad es que no, aún así siempre he tenido mucha curiosidad especialmente hacia la cultura de Siria.

La guía está muy completa, desde la historia de ambos países, así como sus tradiciones, lugares a los que ir, comer, cultura, religiones, incluso frases árabes que decir ante situaciones cotidianas.

Teniendo en cuenta que es del 2004, y la situación actual en la que todavía hay una guerra civil en Siria, puede que quizá esté desactualizada.

Es una completa lástima toda esta situación, y que debido a ello se destruya la riqueza cultural que ambas podrían aportar.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly this book was incredibly useful and was invaluable in helping us get a lot out of our 10 days in these two countries. It was full of interesting history too.

However, it was annoying that it wasn't systematic or clear about explaining the costs of crossing various borders / getting visas. This info was spread around different sections, in different layouts, and didn't always include the same info (like price!).

I would recommend considering the Rough Guide (if there is one for these two countries) before buying this one, but otherwise you'll find it should do a good job.

[Jibran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used it during the visit to Syria only, before the country came to resemble the Abrahamic Hell. Everything that's been written in travel guides is now redundant until the ghastly war ends and until the country rebuilds, which will easily take one-to-two generations if peace is established today. So we should rest all our guides and hopes for visiting that cradle of civilisation.

[Jaylene · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. When I lived in Syria and traveled in Lebanon for a summer I found it full of typos, mistakes, and totally bourgeouis. The couple who wrote the book lived in KUWAIT so had no real reference for the Levant. Also the advice for women travelers was, as usual, vague and unhelpful.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have if you are traveling to these two countries, a friend of mine has lived in Damascus for a year and swears by it!