The distance from Damascus, the Syrian capital, to the historical heritage of Petra in Jordan is about 530 km overland (about 7 hours by car). Three neighboring countries Syria, Lebanon and Jordan with 18 World Heritage Sites in total must be the places that you may want to visit.
The Palmyra Ruins, which is said to derive from the Greek word for date palm (Palma), are the ruins of a Roman city in Tadmor, Homs, central Syria. Also known as the 'City of Roses' for its beauty, it was registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. It was however destroyed in 2015.
In Syria, which was heavily affected by the Arab Spring that began in Tunisia in December 2010, anti-government protests that broke out across the country from March 2011 developed into a civil war. Many Syrian citizens were forced to migrate to Lebanon and Jordan as refugees.
Tourism is an industry that generates many jobs in tourist destinations, and JICA has been working in various countries to support tourism development that benefits local communities, based on the concept of 'Sustainable Tourism Development'. JICA is working to gather information to meet various development needs during the reconstruction period in Syria.
MORIHATA Shingo
Chief Representative
JICA Syria Office
scroll