❌ Why Booking.com, Hostelworld and other platforms don’t work
Websites like Booking.com, Hostelworld, Agoda, Expedia, and most major booking platforms do not support reservations in Syria due to international sanctions and payment limitations.
It’s not a glitch, they legally and technically cannot offer services there.
This means travellers book accommodation directly, using local Syrian platforms. Using a VPN won’t change anything, I tried. Even with different locations and IPs, global booking platforms still block Syria entirely. The restriction is on their side, not on the user’s side, so no workaround helps.
✅ Best method: booking through local Syrian websites
The most reliable option is to use local booking sites that operate normally inside Syria.
Recommended website: HalaSyria
I personally used this website. The reservation was confirmed quickly, and everything was respected at the hotel.
At check‑in you usually only need your passport. Hotels don’t ask for anything complicated — they just register your stay in their system. It takes 1–2 minutes.
Price difference
I paid 40 USD, but when I arrived, I noticed the price at reception was 35 USD. Most likely the extra 5 USD is a booking fee, which is completely normal.
Even so, I highly recommend having a reservation, it makes the border process smoother and looks more official.
❔What if you arrive in Damascus without a hotel booked?
Don’t worry — Damascus is full of hotels, especially in the central area. If you don’t have anything reserved, just head to this part of the city and you’ll be completely fine. Google Earth link of the spot.
Here. There are many hotels next to each other — honestly, if you turn around once, you’ll probably spot five or six immediately. You can easily tell from the signs whether a place is more budget‑friendly or more upscale.
Prices can start from around 20 USD per night, so it’s very possible to find something affordable on the spot.
The area also has currency exchange office, ATMs, cafés, shops, taxis, and everything you might need. It’s a very central and convenient location, so even without a booking you won’t be stuck.
There are also many hotels around the Umayyad Mosque (the Great Mosque of Damascus), hidden in those narrow, atmospheric streets. It’s a great area to walk around — you’ll spot plenty of places just by wandering a bit. The hotels are close to each other, easy to compare, and you can quickly see from the signs whether they’re budget or more upscale.
If you arrive late in the evening, just keep in mind that many streets in Damascus are not well‑lit at night. It can feel very dark, but it doesn’t mean the area is unsafe — it’s simply how the city works. Hotels in the central area are still open, and staff are usually available, but it’s better to know in advance that the streets themselves may look very quiet after dark.
Staying near the Umayyad Mosque or in the Old City area is ideal — everything is walkable, safe, and full of cafés, shops, and taxis.
🗺️ Using Maps.me (free app) to find hotels
If you arrive without a reservation, Maps.me (free app) is super helpful. All the hotels in Damascus are marked there with their names, so you can easily check what’s around you.
You can also try googling the hotel names and contacting them via WhatsApp — I tried a few this way, but the replies I got were around 100 USD per night, which was way too expensive for me. That’s why I ended up using the website I mentioned earlier, and it worked perfectly.
My hotel: Shahryar Hotel Damascus
I stayed at Shahryar Hotel Damascus, (right here on mapps me) (approx here on google map) in the heart of the old city. It’s truly beautiful — almost like a small palace, with that magical Damascus atmosphere everywhere around.
The man at the reception was incredibly kind and helpful (I didn’t ask for his name, unfortunately), but he made my stay even better with how warm and welcoming he was.
Sending warm greetings to the whole team there. 🙂
Solo female traveller 
Dear wandering wonder Anna,
I have no words to appreciate you. I really feel like leave everything behind here and start travelling, holding the end of the veil that carries you, veil of knowledge & experience. One day sure.. Happy new year once again. 🙏❤️❤️❤️
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Thank you so much, Raj. Your words always carry such warmth and poetry — they truly mean a lot to me. Traveling has taught me so much, and I’m grateful if even a small part of that inspires someone else. I hope the new year brings you beautiful moments, new discoveries, and the courage to follow whatever path calls you. Sending my best wishes your way. ❤️❤️❤️
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Take me with you !
Only that strong appeal to you !
❤️❤️🌷🌷
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Dear Raj,
Traveling has been one of the greatest teachers in my life; it opened doors to perspectives I never imagined and reminded me how vast and beautiful the world is. By the way, I’m curious—what is your dream destination? If you could pack your bags tomorrow and go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Warm regards 🌍✨
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Of course I want to go to ancestral place of my grandfather. 🙏🌷❤️
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Anna
Urgent request
This fellow Mockerer always changes persons to disturb. I cannot put his comment under spam because below here he has responded to me under my comment to you. Please put his long irrelevant, offending (not related to our conversation) comment under spam and delete it permanently.
Regards,
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I had Wonder Woman movie reference in my mind
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The language “before God … and the Father” introduces a duality that the First Sinai commandment does not tolerate. Therefore this line of NT reasoning utterly and totally false no different than the Nicene Creed Triune Gods Monotheism theology. This NT attempt to differentiate between the Gospels Father and Son God duality fits into line with the Persian Zoasterian theology which also defines their “monotheism” as a duality of Gods.
The language of the Sinai first commandment introduces the Spirit Name – that’s not a word. The Nicene Creed theology hence introduced “Holy Spirit” in their triune God speculations. The language of the Sinai second commandment validates that Goyim worships other Gods. Because only the 12 Tribes of Israel accept the revelation of the Torah at Sinai, by definition Goyim worship the 2nd Sinai negative commandment of “other Gods”. Hence the Xtian Muslim theological speculations which both call “Monotheism” violates all the commandments of the Torah. Because all the rest of the Torah commandments subsumed within the opening first two Sinai commandments.
Furthermore, the Torah specifically reject theological debates upon some theoretical “God-Head”. Tawhid, literally “to unite” or “to make one”, refers to the principle of monotheism in Islam. This Islamic creed belief system, like the Nicene Creed, and bi-polar Zoroaster Gods of Light & Darkness — all equally a Torah av tuma abomination of avoda zara.
The first Sinai commandment abhors a strict monotheism. Only Israel accepted the Torah at Sinai. Therefore the god of Israel a local tribal god. Not a Monotheistic Universal God as all three religious mentioned above, their theological creeds dictate. Furthermore the language “pure” in James 1:27 does not correctly translate to the Hebrew tohor. The NT “pure” — a state of being free from any contamination, mixture, or impurities, representing an unaltered or unadulterated form of a substance or quality. Tohor: by stark contrast directly refers to the 13 Horev spirits Orally “breathed” unto Moshe.
“Pure Olive Oil” in no way, shape, manner or form compares to the Spirits of the Oral Torah revelation of אל, רחום, וחנון וכו. Just as Lord, Son, Holy Spirit, or Allah “words” do not in any wise compare to the Spirit of the שם השם לשמה רוח הקודש. Impossible to communicate any spoken word to the Divine Presence Spirit Name revealed during the first Sinai commandment.
The Torah “faith”: pursuit of righteous judicial justice among and between the chosen Cohen people within the borders of the oath sworn inheritance land of the chosen (as opposed by the unchosen) seed of the Avot, likewise shares no common denominator ground foundation with the NT theology which defines faith as “belief” in the Father/Son bi-polar God. Any more than the Muslim Allah, or 101 names or titles of Zoroastrian bi-polar Gods.
Furthermore, prior to the Babylonian exile the NaCH prophets forbade sticking names upon Angels. Book of Judges 13 where an Angel apppeared to Manoah and his wife. When asked by Manoah the name of the Angel, the Angel refused to reveal his name because it served only as a messenger and nothing more. After the Persians permitted Israel to rebuild Judea, only then did the NaCH latter prophets permitted names assigned to Angels. This indulgence, strictly forbidden by prophets prior to the first exile, understood through the error of attempts made by the NT counterfeit to affix to some foreign align God – Father/Son duality.
The top priority insistence that strict Monotheism, a cardinal creed in both Xtianity and Islam – an utter Torah abomination. The 2nd Sinai commandment “”””validates”””” Goyim belief in other Gods. Just that simple. No fancy dance’n. The first Sinai commandment does NOT introduce the false notion of some singular, unambiguous monotheism, EMPHATICALLY NOT articulated in the First Commandment.
The “indulgence” of affixing names to Angels made by the 2nd Temple prophets exposes Jewish avoda zara assimilation to the culture practiced in the land of Babylon during the 70 year exile. This tuma of applying names to Angels justified the NT attempts to apply Father\Son names to the God of Israel. If Joe – not the same person as Bob, the insistence the the Name of Joe not get confused with the name of Bob — simply not “MONOTHEISM”.
The revelation of the Torah at Sinai eternally emphasizes the revelation of judicial common law obeyed לשמה and NOT this or that Name for the Sinai first commandment god – dressed up in the theology of Monotheism. An utterly false notion to argue that the NT shifted away from strict Torah monotheistic purity – because the Torah clear as the Sun in the Sky does not command belief in any form of Monotheism.
The insistence on strict monotheism and the accompanying critiques of other religious practices – the Torah absolutely abhors. Obedience to rule Canaan with judicial justice day and night different than belief in conflicting theologies of Monotheism.
The Divine Presence Name does not assert any singular God but rather a small tribal god of the 12 Tribes of Israel. The 10 plagues of Egypt judged the Gods worshipped by Par’o and the Egyptians. The theology of monotheism ignores both this clear fact as well as the prophetic struggle with avoda zara throughout the later NaCH literature. Israel came out of Egypt to rule Canaan with justice. Israel did not come out of Egypt to impose its court system of justice upon Goyim nations. רוח הקודש טהור strictly and only refers to the 13 middot of the Oral Torah which Moshe “smelled”, something like different flowers in bloom, at Horev. Just as words fail to accurately describe shades of colors, how much more so words totally collapse to describe Divine Spirits such as אל רחום וחנון etc.
Goyim worship their Monotheistic God theology creeds as they so see fit – gezunte heit, may it bring them health, happiness, and success. But to mix and confuse Torah judicial faith with Goyim Monotheism – this compares to how the Creator mixed and confused all the languages spoken by Man. Which forced Mankind from building their Tower of Babel.
The revelation of the Torah at Sinai does not condemn how other how religious identities become established, formed through their unique language, history, and cultural exchange. The Koran declares that prophets sent to warn all nations; that these prophets spoke the language of the people these prophets sent to warn. This notion directly compares to the absurdity of the Nicene Creed Trinity belief system; only Israel accepted the Torah at Sinai – prophets sent only to Israel not to other nations. Prophets command mussar.
Yonah sent to Assyria not to address the king of Assyria but to cause all future born generations of Israel to remember\t’shuva the judicial injustice practiced by the kings of Israel throughout their reigns over Samaria. The king of Assyria took the 10 tribes out of Samaria and scattered them across vast range expanse of that empire.
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