Palmyra and Deir ez-Zur

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We rolled into Palmyra (in the Eastern deserts of Syria) in the hottest hour of the day and promptly learned what desert heat really means! It was likely around 35-40 degrees, but felt even hotter with no wind... After hiding in the shade for an hour or so sipping on some fresh pressed orange juice and snacking on some yummy Mensaf (lamb on rice with nuts and yoghurt) and camel meat, we decided to hit up the 1st and 2nd century AD Roman ruins nearby.

The ruins themselves were pretty impressive, but more impressive was the sunset from the nearby hilltop Qala'at ibn Maan, first shedding the warm light over the red stone ruins, and then setting over the hills in the desert to the west. I don't know, after seeing so many different types of ruins over the past 6 weeks, it's nice to have different experiences at them so one doesn't get "ruined" on the ruins... I woke up the next morning for a sunrise walkabout through the ruins, but promptly returned to bed with a terrible sinus cold. It's doing better, but a nice lazy day of rest on the balcony overlooking the ruins was a nice way to recover!

After Palmyra, we decided to head up to Deir ez-Zur, a smallish market town on the banks of the Euphrate's river. Here we spent a day relaxing and wandering around the very quiet streets (being Friday, all the shops are closed and the streets are deserted). We met a couple from the UK and Netherlands and caught ride to the Hellentistic/Roman fortress city (founded 280 BC) of Dura Europos (which sits less than 50km from the Iraqi border). There wasn't much to see in terms of ruins here, but the views over the Euphrates river into Iraq were very nice. Here is where I experienced the hottest weather in my life, where it had to have been close to 45 degrees in the sun... And this is springtime here! 😊

After some time in the small desert towns/cities, it was time to grab a train west to the souq city of Aleppo before heading up into Turkey!

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Comments

[Fisher]

Keep the posts coming!!
Just read through your entire blog, mark. I love your writing and the stories. You really paint a picture for us readers. Stay safe and keep the blog rolling!! Fish