Syria Guide for Halal Conscious Travelers - Crescentrating

Syria Guide

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Syria Info

ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL: Damascus

COMMERCIAL CAPITAL: Aleppo

GEOGRAPHY

Syria is situated at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and north of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Jordan. The Euphrates river crosses the country in the east. It is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of civilization".

DEMOGRAPHY

A population of close to 22.4 Million. Muslims account for about 74% of the population.

CLIMATE

Hot, sunny summers and cold winters. In summer the temperatures can reach in excess of 35°C during the day. Snowfall is common in winter on the mountains.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

Arabic the official language. Kurdish, English and French are widely used as well.

LOCAL TIME

GMT+2 hrs
Summer: +3 hrs

BUSINESS HOURS

Government: 9 AM to 3 PM
General: 9 AM to 5 PM
(Sunday to Thursday are the working days of the week. Friday & Saturday are considered as weekends)

HOLIDAYS

Independence Day: April 17th
Mother's Day: March 21st
May Day: May 1st
Christmas Day: December 25th

Muslim Festivals (Based on the lunar calandar):
Id-ul-Fitr
Id-ul-Adha
Milad-un-Nabi
Islamic New Year

CURRENCY

Syrian Pound

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Police/ Emergencies: 112
Medical: 110
Fire: 113

Introduction to Syria

With over thousands of years of glorious history, the enthralling country of Syria is one of the largest regions in the Middle East. A journey to Syria is definitely one of the most memorable experiences that travellers will cherish. Offering an inimitable blend of heritage, culture and history, travellers instantly fall in love with this beautiful country. It also enjoys a short coastline of the Mediterranean Sea on the east.

About 90 percent of the population of Syria comprises of Muslims and this makes it easy for travellers to locate a masjid or halal restaurants. Taxis are the easiest means of transport for travellers to move around places of interest in Syria. Car rentals are also easily available all around the country.

Damascus, the capital of Syria is also the largest city in the country and among the oldest continuously inhabited areas in the world. Damascus was established as early as 10,000 BC. The old fortified city takes travellers into the past as it offers a very medieval feel.

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