Syria

Let’s face it: You’re not traveling to Syria anytime soon. As of this writing (mid-2015), the country’s still fully embroiled in crisis—civil war, terrorism, mass population displacement—and any visitor faces monumental and mortal risks. Indeed, there aren’t many more dangerous places on the planet right now, and the lure of the country’s epic historical and cultural attractions doesn’t make a trip here any less ludicrous of a consideration.

Putting aside the ugly reality for the moment, let’s acknowledge the glories Syria has to offer the world. History here runs intoxicatingly deep: the early flowerings of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, the endless clashes between Western and Eastern empires, the momentous energy—and frequent conflict—spun from the intermix of great world religions deep in their mythic territory.

Thousands of years of Syrian history lie plain to see in fertile alluvial plains, sunbathed Mediterranean coast, and wind-scoured desert wastes. The stunning ruins of Palmyra and Apamea, the Byzantine Dead Cities, the Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers, the century-spanning monuments of old Aleppo and Damascus—Syria’s treasures of antiquity evoke a profound experience for any visitor. It’s one of the many tragedies of Syria’s current chaos that some of these sublime relics are under direct threat of destruction.

Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Bedouins—the ethnic tapestry of Syria is complicated. And from traditional desert nomads to the cosmopolitan urbanites of Aleppo, Syrian society blends the old and the new as strikingly as anywhere in the Middle East.

Right now the focus in Syria must be on the well-being of its people and the effort toward peace. Tourism, alas, is mighty low on the priority list.