Earlier, reports said bombings in the town of Palmyra killed 19 people.

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Then there is the ancient city of Palmyra, another Unesco World Heritage site, whose ruins lay scattered across a desert oasis 150 miles northeast of Damascus.

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Midday prayers at the South Jersey Islamic Center in Palmyra often have thin attendance, but since the arrest of a handful of its members, attendance has plummeted.

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Owing to the volatile security situation, it has not been possible to assess the extent of the damage to the ancient city of Aleppo and several other World Heritage sites including the Crac des Chevaliers, Palmyra, the Ancient Villages in Northern Syria and Damascus.

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Instead, check into the creaky old Palmyra Hotel where luminaries including Jean Cocteau and General de Gaulle once slept, and explore the spectacular ruins of ancient Heliopolis - the "Sun City" - whose Temples of Bacchus and Jupiter hold their own among the Mediterranean's finest.

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From Fairport, spend your first day paddling 12.4 miles east to Palmyra and overnight at the Liberty House Bed and Breakfast, a beautiful Victorian house with decent rates Before heading out for your second day of paddling, take a couple of hours to immerse yourself in this small town's history.

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