10 Best ancient ruins of the MIDDLE EAST

There are many reasons to travel all over the Middle East (and arguably many reasons not to travel to the Middle East at all), though one of the strongest arguments in favour of travel is to explore the many ancient ruins. With a long history, the Middle East boasts some of the most incredible remnants of ancient civilisations. However, with war constantly raging at various burning points, one can only wonder how long these ruins will still be standing.

Among the best ruins are those in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, and Turkey. Palmyra, the ancient city in Syria, recently suffered damage during the ongoing civil war. Syria is famous for several ruins such as Palmyra. Bosra, Apamea, and Krak des Chevaliers. The latter is a Crusader castle, rather than an ancient city. While Palmyra is quite large, Baalbek in Lebanon is generally regarded as the best preserved of all the ruins across the middle East.  The ages of these ruins vary generally from around 500 B.C. to about 500 A.D.

As one stares at the columns and weathered stones, you can’t help but to wonder what these buildings looked like at the apogee of these civilisations. Persepolis, meaning “city of the Persians, is one of the best documented ancient civilisations. While it flourished beyond any other place in the region at its apogee, Alexander the Great didn’t think it was worth keeping it for the future, so he looted it and then (accidentally) burned it down to just the few pillars we are seeing today.  Indeed an incredible experience to walk around these ancient ruins across the Middle East.