Deir Ez-Zor

Deir Ez-Zor is a highlight of Syria not so much for the city itself, although the Euphrates River which courses through it resonates with history and is quite a striking vein of colour through an otherwise arid landscape. The sites accessible from it are the draw – to the east lie the muddy remains of Mari, a settlement which first flourished some five millennia ago, and Dura Europos, a remarkable site of Greek origin and Jewish and Roman influences. To the west on the road to Aleppo are the stunning Resafa, home to a church venerating St Sergius, and the fortifications at Halabiya on the riverbanks.