ABOUT SYRIA - DEIR EZZOR
The tamarisk groves on the banks of the Euphrates, give the name to this city
"The Convent of the Groves".
This town is the most important urban center in the East of Syria. Situated on
the banks of the Euphrates, flowing gently through the plain, Deir-ez-Zor, stands
guard to the five bridges that span the river, the lifeline of the regional economy
and navigable corridor of civilization through the ages. Countless armies, conquerors
and merchants have come and gone leaving behind a legacy of cultural and architectural
diversity in public and private stone buildings and flower gardens.
Deir Ezzor is well placed for access to important archaeological
sites.
85 Km to the southeast stands Doura Europos, founded in 300 BC on the Euphrates
bank by Seleucus Nikator and destroyed by the Sassanids on 256 AD. It was a river
port and caravan staging point on the silk route. 16 temples of different religions
have been discovered on the site.
Another important historical and archaeological site is Mari, a kingdom which
flourished in the 3rd millennium BC. The city was the capital of the 10th dynasty
after the flood. Excavations revealed the remains of a 300 room palace, with a
great library stacked with 20,000 cuneiform tablets.
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