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President Dr. Bashar al-Assad
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The Syrian Arab Republic is located in the Middle East at the
eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea.
It is bordered by Turkey to the
north, Iraq to the east and south-east, Jordan to the south, and Lebanon
to the south-east. The capital of Syria is
Damascus; other large cities are Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs, and Deir
Ez-Zor.
Syria covers an area more than 185,000 square kilometers; its terrain, climate and vegetation are diverse. Mountains dominate the western and south-western regions and separate the narrow coastal plain form the interior. The highest mountain range straddles the boundary with Lebanon and is high enough to get heavy snow in winter; most of the remainder of Syria to the east of these mountains is a plateau.
The coastal plain has warm, humid summers and mild, wet winters and gets enough rain for crops to be grown without irrigation. The interior, by contrast, has cold winters, especially in the north, and extremely hot summers, particularly in the east.
Much of the interior is desert, or semi-desert. The two major rivers, the Euphrates and Orients, originate in Turkey and Lebanon.
By land: Syria is linked with other countries by a network of international roads through Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. An International railroad links Syria with turkey and the rest of Europe.
By sea: Through the tow seaports of Latakia and Tartous on the Mediterranean.
By air: Damascus airport is the main airport for international airlines. It is situated about 30 miles form the city. No direct flights operate between Syria and Japan, Canada or the USA. An airport tax is payable on leaving the country.
Visas: A passport and visas are required on entry.A visa must be obtained prior to arrival in Syria.
Foreigners who wish to stay in Syriafor more than 15 days must register with Syria Immigration and Passport Administration by the fifteenth day.
The authority requires two passport photos when registering. For individuals traveling to Lebanon a visa can be obtained on the Lebanese border.
Getting around in Syria: Microbuses are the cheapest form of transport. They do not run a scheduled service. Taxis are available.
Car rental is also available.
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Damascus (Dimshq), the capital of Syria, is the oldest continuously inhabited capital in the world.
The earliest reference to the city appeared in the Ebla tablets, the existence of Damascus in the third millennium B.C.
Damascus is filled with ancient landmarks, evidence of the many ears and peoples who have inhabited it throughout history. The ancient wall, with its seven gates, surrounds the old city of Damascus; it was built in the Roman era, and parts of it still stand today.
The present-day Umayyad Mosque was built on a site that has always been a place of worship. Originally, it was a temple to an ancient Aramean god, later it became a pagan temple during the Greek and Roman ears, then a church during the 4th century A.D., and finally, in 705 A.D., the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid Ibn Abdul Malek constructed the mosque which still stands at the end of the famous Souq Al Hamidiyeh in the heart of the old city.
The Damascus Citadel was erected in 1078 A.D. by the Seleucids who also built houses, baths, schools and mosques, all within the citadel; thus it became a city within a city. The Azem Palace, also in the old city, was built in the 18th century for the
governor of Damascus. The palace is a great example of Damascus architecture and now houses the museum of Arts and Popular Traditions.
Damascus is well-know for its covered souqs (markets), built during the Ottoman period. The most important are the Souq Al Hamidiyeh, Souq, Midhat Pasha, Souq Al Harir and Souq Al Bzourieh.
Each souq specializes is a particular craft or type of merchandise; such as brocade, embroideries, hand-blown glass, engraved copper works, silver, gold and spices, etc. for which Damascus is world renown.
Other popular sites in the old city are the Hammam Al Noury (public baths), Bimaristan Al Noury (Museum of Medicine), the Tomb of Saladin, St.Paul’s Church, St. Hanania Church and the Damascus Museum.
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Syrian Cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers (Includes Ministries of state and of State for Cabinet and Services Affairs)
Shahbandar Street
Tel 222600 /2221000/ 2110212
Al Bahsah Street
Tel. 2238682/ 2238683
Fax 2246921
Al-Salheyeh, Yousef Azmeh Square
Tel: 3722552/ 2217571/ 2217572/ 3722552
Fax 2217570
Mezzeh Autostrad, Dar al Ba’th Building
Tel 6664600/ 6664601
Fax 6620052
Maysaloun Street
Tel2213514/ 2213515
Fax. 2225695
Sa’dallah al-Jaberi Street in Front of the Mail Center
Tel. 2223595/ 2227966/ 2223196/ 2223597
Rukeneddin
Tel: 4419079/ 4419080
Fax. 419969
Al Mazraa,
Al Shahbandar Square
Tel: 4444703/4/2/ 4444800
Fax. 4420435
Al Rawda, Kasem Amin Avenue
Tel. 3330700/1/2/3
Fax. 3337719
Al Salheyeh
Tel. 2219044/ 2219241
Fax. 2219803
Al Rawda, George
Haddad Street
Tel: 3331556/ 3338633/ 338600
Fax 3320804
Muhajereen, Shora Avenue
Tel. 3331200/4/ 3337200
Fax. 3320686
Al Shuhadaa Square
Tel. 2211001/ 2219401
Fax.2223428
Omayad Square
Tel. 7770700/ 880980/ 3710980/ 3720936
Al Salheyeh
Tel. 2222600/1/2/3/4
Fax. 3335645
Fardoss Street
Tel. 2212741/ 2221400
Fax. 3320691
Reform Sa’dallah Al Jaberi Street
Tel. 2213613/ 2222513
Fax. 2244078/ 2244023
Kwatli Street, Barada bank
Tel. 2210122/ 2237940
Fax. 2242636
Al Salheyeh, Yousef Azmeh Square
Tel. 2210355/ 2225948
Fax.2247499
Parliement Street
Tel. 3339600/1/2
Fax. 2223085
Maysaloun Street
Tel. 2231834
Fax. 2231096
Eal-Nasre Street
Tel. 2214105/ 220302
Fax. 2246250
Kwatli Street
Tel. 2223086/ 2229654
Fax.2223686
Al Sabee Bahrat Square, Baghdad Street.
Tel. 2219600/1/2/3
Fax. 2224701
Al Salheyeh
Tel. 2227033/34
Fax. 2246403
Adawi, Insha’at
Tel. 4445610/ 4451624
Fax 4457786
Al Jalaa Street
Tel. 3336801/2/3
Fax. 3323317
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The Syrian economy is a multi-researched economy based on agriculture, industry, and trade.
Since 1989 the oil and natural gas sector has witnessed a great investment and has become one of the essential resources for the development of the Syrian economy. Syria’s economy have undergone a profound transformation since the early 1970’s and is now pluralist; a mix between public, private and joint sectors.
The agriculture sector is still predominant and continues to serve as an important engine in the country's economic and social development. It accounts for 31% of the GDP and 23% of employment. The most common crops are wheat, barley, cotton, vegetables, citrus fruits, olives, tobacco and sugar beet.The industrial sector is vibrant employing 29% of the labor force and contributes 22% to the GDP. The main industries are food processing and textiles.
Over the past four years, the economy has continued its expansion (an average of 7-8% per annum of real growth), due to a relaxation of economic controls and increased domestic investment and private sector growth. The introduction of Investment Law No. 10 formed the cornerstone of the government's turn toward the private sector.
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Syria, with a population of 17 million, has one of theworld’s fastest population growth rates. Almost half of all Syrian are under the age of fifteen. Syrians are well-educated by Middle Eastern standards, and great strides have been made in reducing illiteracy, especially in urban areas and among males. Over 50% of the population live in cities and urban migration has been rapid in recent years.
Arabic in the first language of 85 to 90 percent of the population. As for foreign languages, the older generation often speaks some French, while English is widely understood among the younger and middle-aged groups.
Around 25% of Syria's total population are estimated to be economically active, creating a labor force of 3.75 million people in 1996. Fifty percent of the total workforce is employed in urban areas. Only 11% of the urban workforce are women, compared to around 22% in Syria's smaller towns and villages.
Syria has four distinct seasons: the climate is Mediterranean along the cost, and continental in the interior regions. The average temperatures are:32 degrees C. in summer, 10 degrees C. in winter, and 22 degrees C. in the spring and autumn.
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Syria is distinguished for its unique geographical position as the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe. Due to this position, Syria was an unceasingly imperative passage on the famous “Silk Road” which connects East Asia with West Europe. This
position made Syria an open country towards its neighbors, Italy's favorite commercial partner and, a cross, towards Europe as a whole.
As a result of this position, Syria witnessed many consecutive distinct civilizations: Assyria, Byzantine, Roman, Arabic, Islamic, and European, through which there was a mutual influence between them.
Rich and various impacts were left on different spots in Syria, such as, Ogarit, Palmyra, Ibla, Aphamia, Bosra, Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus, all of which made Syria a first class tourist country; added to its moderate climate, clear sky and lovely sunshine.
Syria's openness to the exterior world and its interaction with other civilizations, cultures and nations created in the Syrian people the love for initiatives, trading, creativeness and inventions. Beside, the Syrian people are remarkably young:
youth rate exceeds half the population due to its continuously increasing rate by 3.3% per annum. Skillful and relatively cheap labor together with the availability of natural resources such as oil, gas, phosphate and fertile lands added to Syria's aforementioned important comparative advantages which created in it great opportunities for commerce and investment particularly following the Correction Movement led by President Hafez Al Asad in the early seventies when security, political and social stability prevailed due to the adoption of the Principle of the economic and political pluralism.
Weights and Measures:
Metric Time-zone:
Oct – March GMT+2hours
April – Sept. GMT+3hours
International Country Code: 963
City Codes within Syria
- Damascus: 011
- Aleppo: 021
- Homs: 031
- Latakia: 041
- Tartous: 051
Electricity:
220 volts, 50 AC, European 2 pin.
Plug:
Voltage regulator suggested.
Currency:
Syrian Pound (Lira).
official exchange rate is 46 SP / 1 USD.
Bank notes: 1,5,10,25,50,100,200,500,1000.
Coins: 1,2 ,5,10, 25.
Credit cards:
Can be used at major hotels and airlines; other shopping should be done with cash. Travelers checks should be changed into
cash at the banks.
Currency Exchange:
Foreign currency can be exchanged at the Commercial Bank of Syria (open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sat. – Thurs.), and official
exchange bureaus (open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. – Thurs.)
Business hours:Government: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Stores: 9 a.m to 2 p.m to 9 p.m
Weekend: Friday is the official weekend
Arabic is the official language; English and French are spoken as second languages.
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