Aleppo
Dominated by its 10th century citadel, Aleppo seems a more relaxed place than Damascus and is ideal as a base to explore the surrounding area. Although it is Syria’s second largest city Aleppo has a very different feel to it, and is also claimed to be the ‘oldest continually inhabited city in the world’, although Damascus also claims this title. Aleppo was a key stopping point during the Silk Road era and since that has ceased it is not as busy as it once was, however it has managed to maintain World Heritage–listed status from not succumbing to modernisation, unlike a lot of cities in the Middle East. Inside the city there are museums, a large souq and some superbly refurbished hammam or Turkish bath.
To the north of the city lies the monastery of St Simeon the Stylite who, around 450AD, preached from the top of his 45ft pillar for 30 years and is a clear example of some of the area's wonderful architectural gems.