Deir ez-Zur travel guide

Deir ez Zor, also spelled Dayr az-Zawr, Deir al-Zur and other variants (Arabic: دير الزور; Armenian: Տէր Զօր or Der Zor), is a city in northeastern Syria on the Euphrates River and capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, 450 km from the capital, Damascus. It has a population of 133,000 (1994 estimate). It is a prosperous farming area, with cattle-breeding, cereals and cotton crops. Since the discovery of light crude oil in the Syrian desert it has become a centre for the country's oil extraction industry. It is also a minor centre for tourism with many touristic facilities as traditional riverbank restaurants up to 5-star hotels, a hub for trans-desert travel and has an airport (IATA code: DEZ) in Al-Jafra suburb. Also there are salt rock mines nearby.
Deir ez-Zor situated 85 km to the northwest of the archaeological remains of Dura-Europos and 120 km northwest of the remains of the ancient city of Mari. During Roman times it was an important trading post between the Roman Empire and India. Conquered by Zenobia, it became part of the kingdom of Palmyra. After a successive wave of conquests, it was finally destroyed by the Mongols as they swept across the Middle East.
The modern town was built by the Ottoman Empire in 1867. In 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, it witnessed grim scenes as hundreds of thousands of Armenians arrived at the end of forced death marches from Anatolia. Thousands died in Deir and surrounding areas, many at the Ra's al-'Ain springs outside the town. France occupied Deir ez-Zor in 1921 and made it the seat of a large garrison. In 1941 British-led forces defeated the French during the Syria-Lebanon campaign, which included a battle over Deir, and they handed administration of the region to the Free French. In 1946 it became part of independent Syria. (...) more....

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