About Syria

Explore Syria through its cities, governorates, heritage and everyday life.

Life and Culture in Syria

Life and Culture in Syria brings together two ways of getting to know a place: looking closely at its built heritage and asking…

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Syria by Region

Regional research gives a property search a useful shape. It helps you distinguish a city from its wider governorate, identify the landscape around…

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Cities and Governorates

Explore Syria through its cities, their surroundings and the places that give each destination its identity. This collection begins with Damascus and Aleppo,…

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Euphrates water channel bordered by exposed shore, reeds and trees in Deir ez-Zor, April 2009

Deir ez-Zor and the Euphrates: Geographic Context

Locate Deir ez-Zor through dated river photographs and urban research, then separate geographic context from the address and access evidence a home needs.

Large stone remains along Arwad island shore with the Mediterranean behind, September 2008

Arwad: Understanding the Island and Its Mainland Connections

Understand Arwad through dated island photographs and heritage sources, with practical questions about mainland connections and a specific home.

Stone frontage and later buildings beside the road at the seaward side of Tartus citadel, September 2008

Tartus: The Waterfront and Historic City

Explore Tartus through historic stone frontages and dated waterfront photographs, then identify the address and evidence needed to research a particular home.

Multi-storey buildings, balconies and a palm-lined urban street in Latakia, November 2014

Latakia: A Guide to the City and Its Coastal Setting

Explore Latakia through dated city and harbour photographs, distinguish sea views from waterfront access, and prepare address-specific questions for a home.

Stone towers of Crac des Chevaliers above a rural hill landscape, August 2008 archive photograph

Homs Governorate: Separating City and Regional Research

Separate Homs city from governorate research with clear place names, dated regional photographs and practical ways to check the scope of your sources.

View from Apamea across the Ghab Plain towards distant coastal mountains, August 2008 archive photograph

The Orontes Valley: Reading Central Syria Geography

Read the Orontes Valley through basin maps, dated landscape photographs and clear geographic scope before researching a specific place in central Syria.

Palmyra's colonnaded avenue with standing columns and lower masonry, August 2008 archive photograph

Palmyra: Understanding Its Archaeological Significance

Explore Palmyra through its urban plan, cultural significance, dated photographs and archaeological resources, separating historical views from current conditions.

The Orontes in Hama with riverside stonework, vegetation and a distant bridge, August 2008 archive photograph

Hama: The Orontes and the City Landscape

Understand Hama through the Orontes, its waterwheels and dated city photographs, with clear distinctions between heritage records and property-specific evidence.

Archive photograph of Tilel shopping street in Aleppo's Jdeydeh quarter, photographed by Alexanyan on 14 September 2010.

Researching Neighbourhoods in Aleppo Before Choosing a Home

Research Aleppo neighbourhoods from the exact address outward, using dated evidence and independent building checks instead of district reputations or archive images.

Archive photograph of stone tombs among olive trees at Al-Bara in Idlib Governorate, photographed by Vyacheslav Argenberg on 23 August 2008.

Northern Syria Ancient Villages: Understanding the UNESCO Site

Understand the eight-part UNESCO Ancient Villages site, conservation status and archive imagery while separating heritage context from a specific property decision.

Archive view of a clothing stall in a Ma'arrat al-Numan market, Idlib Governorate, photographed by Bernard Gagnon on 3 April 2010.

Idlib Governorate: Historic Places and Location Research

Research an Idlib Governorate address with accurate historic context, clearly dated archive photographs, and a separate record of current property evidence.

Archive view of the Citadel of Aleppo stone-faced slope and arched entrance bridge, photographed by Vyacheslav Argenberg on 21 August 2008.

The Citadel of Aleppo: A Guide to Its Setting

Understand the Citadel of Aleppo in its historic urban setting, read dated views and UNESCO maps accurately, and separate landmark context from property evidence.