Syria was one of the three Hellenic countries created after the death of Makedonis’ King Alexandros (356 B.C. ~ 323 B.C.). Since then, it became a major stronghold of the ancient Empires. Syria created its own complex culture that encompassed ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. Relics of each civilization still remain in the nation. The great desert city of ‘Palmira’ and ‘Crac des Chevaliers’, established by the crusades, are particularly famous. Damascus, settled earlier than 3000 BCE, is called the oldest city of people and was the center for international trade. It was the terminus of the Silk Road and the Incense Road, which started from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Syria is also linguistically important because the first language of the mankind, Sumerian, existed in “Mari,” the south of Syria. The Ugarit alphabet, the oldest alphabet, was found in Ugarit. More than 43% of its territory is the fertile plain, and most Syrians engage in farming because of the Euphrates River.