Damascus Countryside, (ST) - 118 volunteers participated in an environmental march in the areas of al-Mallaha and al-Taous in the eastern Qalamoun in order to spread social awareness towards ecotourism and preserving the remaining unique biodiversity. This environmental walk aims also to of highlight these unique sites and their importance in terms of tourism and nature and studying the possibility of installing a pathway in the region to serve inbound ecotourism.

 The media coordinator of the Syrian Society for Exploration and Documentation Faisal Yassoub who organized the march explained to SANA reporter that the activity of the march of the white desert (al-Taous) which is16 km from the city of Giroud to the town of Nasiriyah, can be though of as a of adventure, as the participants move from muddy to sandy areas-whilst enjoying unique and dazzling views all along.

Yassoub pointed out that the interaction of participants in the march was positive and they are from different age groups and from several governorates.

The history of Palmyra is closely linked to the development of the silk road in this region and to the city’s strategic position between the major powers of the early middle ages.

As such, the city was well-served to become an important center of trading for those merchants who chose to cross this desert rather than take the longer route around it.

 People of ancient city of Palmyra benefited from the location of their city on the Silk Road for international trade and for contact with neighboring civilizations.

They were able to reach advanced civilizational levels due to the strategic position of Palmyra, which made it mainly dependent on trade, transport and exchange of goods.

A Czech magazine described, in a photo report, the monuments of the city of Bosra as one of the "rare historical monuments that are located in Syria and as one of the most beautiful and important ones in the world".

"The first reference to the city of Bosra was mentioned in a clay tablet dating back to the Egyptian Pharaohs in the fourteenth century BC. Bosra was the capital of the Roman area of Arabia Petraria", the magazine said in its report. 

Sweida, (ST) - Several archaeological monuments in the town of Shaqqa in the north-eastern countryside of Sweida are a living witness to ancient civilizations that have passed down the region and have given it a distinctive character.
The head of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Nashaat Kiwan said that the town is 27 km from the center of the province. It is one of the most important archaeological areas in the province where it assumed a special position during the second and third centuries AD. The Romans named it after Emperor Maximianus and then its name became Maximiano Bolis. It became a city at the time which had a very important position in later centuries.

PALMYRA, (ST)- Authorities in the Syrian city of Palmyra in Homs countryside have found a Palmyrene funerary bust that was looted by ISIS terrorists from one of the cemeteries of Palmyra and left behind by them when they were driven out of the area by a major military operation by the Syrian Arab army.

According to the Secretary of Palmyra National Museum Khalil al-Hariri, the funerary bust, which dates back to the 12th century AD, is perfectly made of hard limestone. It is a bust of a man who wears the ancient Palmyrene clothing. He has a beard, a mustache and a straight nose and he holds a key in his left hand while his right hand is put on his chest, al-Hariri said.