Desert Experience and Caravan Heritage
Experience the Syrian desert around Palmyra where the ancient caravan routes crossed 2,000 kilometers of waterless terrain carrying silk, spices, and luxury goods between China and Rome, making Palmyra the most important trading city in the ancient Middle East.
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Desert Sunset
Watch the sunset over the Syrian desert from the edge of Palmyra where the ancient ruins are bathed in golden light and the desert sky turns spectacular colors, the experience of the desert at dusk one of the most memorable moments in travel to this extraordinary ancient city.
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Caravan Routes
Drive into the desert on the ancient caravan routes that connected Palmyra to Dura Europos on the Euphrates, the track through the desert visible as a slight depression in the terrain following the ancient path where camel caravans carried goods for over a thousand years.
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Desert Oases
Visit the small desert oases near Palmyra where the springs and wells that sustained ancient caravans still produce water, the geography of survival in the Syrian desert visible in the rare green patches where underground water reaches the surface.
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Night Sky
See the extraordinary night sky over the Palmyra desert far from light pollution where the stars are visible in numbers impossible in cities, the ancient caravaneers navigating by the same stars across the same desert that stretches unchanged around the modern visitor.
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Desert Ecology
Understand the desert ecology around Palmyra where the seemingly barren landscape supports specialized plant and animal life adapted to extreme conditions, the knowledge of this ecology essential for the ancient bedouin guides who led caravans safely across the Syrian desert.
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Modern Tadmur
See the modern town of Tadmur that shares the oasis with ancient Palmyra, the Syrian town that grew from the ancient settlement being rebuilt after the severe damage of the ISIS period, the living community reassembling around the ancient ruins.