Day 1 • Departure 
Our life-changing journey begins this evening as we board our overnight flight to Damascus, Syria.

Day 2 • Arrive Damascus 
We arrive in Damascus and transfer to our hotel for the next four evenings.  The remainder of the day is free.

Day 3: Bosra, Damascus
We begin our day with transfer to the Souq Hamydiah, a marketplace full of smells and shops to intrigue you. We continue our sightseeing with a tour to the crossroads caravan city of Bosra, mentioned in history dating back to the fourteenth Century BC.  One of the highlights of the day is a superbly preserved Roman theatre.  We return to our lodging in Damascus.

Day 4: Damascus City Tour, Street Called “Straight”
Straight Street is mentioned in the story of Paul's conversion to Christianity in Acts 9:10-19:
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
The Straight Street was the popular name for the main thoroughfare crossing the city from East to West. In the times of St. Paul, Damascus was a Greco-Roman city built according to a rectangular plan, which can be traced back to the 5th century B.C.
Ananias followed instruction to lay on hands " And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
Our tour through ancient Straight Street, Damascus will include the supposed location of the House of Judas where Paul received his sight, St. Paul’s Chapel identifying the place where Paul fled from those who would have killed him and many other fascinating sights in this remarkable city.

Day 5: Baalbeck – Damascus
Today we cross the border to visit Baalbeck, Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure counted among the wonders of the ancient world containing the largest and most noble Roman temples ever built.   Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome and today remain among the best preserved in the world.  After a full day of sightseeing, we return to Damascus for the evening.

Day 6: Mallaula,  Sednaya, Crac De Cehvilers, Aleppo
Our day begins with a visit to the mountain village of Mallaula who’s little houses and monasteries cling to the face of an enormous rock. The inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. We continue on to the Saydnaya Convent.   The terraces and domes of the convent are the subject of many stories of miracles.  The monastery contains a portrait of the Virgin Mary believed to have been painted by St. Luke.  The local inhabitants say they can show you the reputed place where Cain slew his brother Abel.  This afternoon we visit the most famous medieval citadel in the world, Crac des Chevaliers.   It is through here at “Homs Gap” that much of the Eastern World communicated with the Mediterranean.   Our lodging this evening will be in Aleppo.

Day 7: Aleppo Tour- Palmyra
Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria, is the most “oriental” of all Syrian towns in a very strategic position.  This position gave the city a distinctive role from the days of the Akkadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. The city tour includes a visit to the Citadel, the Grand Mosque, Khan Al-Wazir, the old quarters of the city, the museum and St. Simon.  According to the Biblical tradition, Abraham sacrificed on the summit of the hill where the Citadel is today.  Our lodging this evening will be in Palmyra.

Day 8: Palmyra- Damascus
Palmyra (Tadmor in Arabic) is in the heart of Syrian Desert, and is often described as the bride of the desert. Its magnificent remains tell of a heroic history during the reign of Queen Zenobia.
The Oasis, as it is sometimes called, is located near a hot-water spring called Afqa, which make it an ideal halt for caravans moving between Iraq and Al-Sham (present day Syria, Lebanon, Holy Land and Jordan), trading in silk from China to the Mediterranean. This strategic location made Palmyra prosper in a well-established kingdom from the 2nd century BC.  After Romans conquered Syria, Palmyra flourished and became known as city of palm-trees.  Our city tour will include the Temple of Bel, a view of the Tombs, Baths and Theatre before we return to Damascus for the evening.

Day 9: Homeward 
Early today we depart Damascus Airport for our flight home.