• Middle East

A country too dangerous to visit is one I can’t wait to return to

As Mark Twain wrote, Damascus “measures time not by days and months and years, but by the empires she has seen rise and prosper and crumble into ruin”.

• Luke Slattery

• Travel tips

Which road to Damascus?

I would like to go to Damascus for four to five days to join a small group tour. Can you recommend local hotels and tours?

• Michael Gebicki

• Inspiration

All in the delivery

Stephanie Clifford-Smith joins regulars at a Damascus cafe to hear the master of a dying tradition.

• Food and wine

Souk and you will find

Stephanie Clifford-Smith lets her taste buds lead the way through the bustling markets of Syria.

• Syria

Road to Damascus

Sean Mooney is converted in the crowded souqs and gilded mosques of the world's oldest city.