"WHERE THE AL-JAZIRAH BEGIN" Dayr az Zawr by al.ladin

Dayr az Zawr or - I prefer Deir Ez-Zor is a gate to the country Al-jazirah (= island in Arabic) between the Euphrates River and the Tigris River.
Locals and Iraqi people behind the border have common accent of Arabic, different from Damascus.
The town Deir Ez-Zor on the right bank of the Euphrates River is a business centrum of eastern Syria. The main thing here is the river. Almost all towns and historic sites here are situated along the Euphrates River, Al Furat for locals.
My first experience after we left a taxi was oriental chaos in the main market street with dirty pavement, meet on hooks outside the shops, lots of smells and busy people.
One day after you will get used to and you will start to love streets without tourist groups just few backpackers sometimes. There are not special monuments to see in the town, but the view of the river and is good enough to spent a few or more days here.
Many historical sites are round the town, down or up the river. Down the river to the Iraqi border you can easy reach by microbus ruins of cities Doura Europos or Mari. Mari is about 30 km far from the border. So don’t forget to get out the bus.
In the middle of the way to Doura Europos is a village Al-Mayadin. Before you approach the village, notice a citadel about 5 km on the right side. You can drop the bus and visit the castle Qala’at ar-Rahba.


Nice page about sites along the Euphrates River is maykal's Dayr az Zawr Travelogue.
no ratings but good!

Large market is located in the middle of town close to Al-arabi Al-kabir hotel.

Main square with a statue of ex-president Hafez al-Assad.

• In a nutshell:Surprise on the riverside