Tartous
Tartous is an industrial port on the south coast of Syria, but it does have an old quarter containg a Crusader citadel, the remains of the Tortosa of the Templars and the fortress-like Cathedral. It is also the gateway to Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. From Tartous you can also visit the ancient city of Palmyra (founded by Solomon) which has the Temple of the Sun and 1,500 Corinthian columns still standing, the Phoenician religious settlement of Amrit founded in the 3d century BC, and Krak des Chevaliers, a magnificent Crusader castle.