Palmyra Palmyra city stands as a symbol for its Arab Queen "Zenobia", who was an example of the ambitious woman. She stood against the greatness and mightiness of Rome. Today, Palmyra is famous for its temples, walls and tombs. It is surrounded by green oasis of olive, palm and pomegranate trees and looks like a mirage in a mid vast desert. Brilliant Palmyra is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arab Jazirah and it was an important point on the Silk Road.   Crac Des Chevaliers It is the most famous castle of the middle ages. It stands proudly on a volcanic crater and overlooks the Beka'a plain, Homs and Latakia mountains. This castle tells the story of two centuries of bloody and wild struggle ended by liberating it in the year 1271 by the sultan Al Thaher Baybars who rebuilt its ruined parts and added many others. Afamia (Apamea) Seleucus Nacator who named it after his wife. Afamia built it in the fourth century BC. Many famous personalities visited this city like Antonio and Cleopatra and Hannibal. A philosophical school of modern Platonic approach was established in it. The Romans rebuilt it so the Persian and Roman civilizations were wonderfully mingled in it. It was a commercial center where trade caravans used to frequent. It was then destroyed by two sever earthquakes. You can see a wall surrounding its beautiful ruins such as high columns, old houses and big churches dating back to the fifth and sixth centuries AD in addition to a splendid amphitheatre. Its museum has a lot of extra-ordinary mosaic panels. Shaizar citadel, dating back to the 13th century, stands proudly over the nearby hill.