“They don’t have iconic,charismatic leaders any more,” Hassan Hassan,author of a book on the terrorist group,said after it was revealed a second top leader has been killed.
What Syria was like for tourists before the war tore it apart.
I am not big on resorts,preferring to stay in small boutique hotels and avoiding anything tropical.
Japanese trucker Toshifumi Fujimoto puts his life on the line during his holidays.
A land of time,of myth,of warmth,of callousness and of the power hungry – Syria is a land of spirit. As Maya Irvine,a Syrian friend now living in Abu Dhabi,told Daisy Dumas,"it will survive". I spoke to her about her memories of a childhood in Syria.
In a corner of the old city of Damascus,along the street called Straight and beyond the Bab Sharki's backgammon set hawkers,lies a convent.
Lonely Planet has drawn on the knowledge,passion and kilometres travelled by its staff,authors and online community to present the Top 10 Countries to visit in 2011.
The well-preserved remains of Byzantine-era villages and monastic settlements contain a wealth of artefacts from long-dead cultures.
In dead cities and crowded bazaars,Helen Anderson discovers a rebel queen,musical corsets and living treasures.
The rumours are true:beneath the hijab it's tight black jeans,stilettos and leopard-prints.
Stephanie Clifford-Smith lets her taste buds lead the way through the bustling markets of Syria.