The Dederiyeh Cave near Aleppo has produced a number of significant finds, such as bones, placing _____________ habitation in the region

Syria is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world with archaeological finds dating the first human habitation at ___________ years ago.

The region was known as Eber Nari ('across the river') by the Mesopotamians and included modern-day ________, Lebanon, and Israel

Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on family, religion, education and self-discipline and respect.

Syrian cuisine mainly uses ______, zucchini, garlic, meat (mostly from __________________ and sheep), sesame seeds, rice, chickpeas, fava beans, lentils, cabbage, cauliflower, ________________, pickled turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, pistachios, honey and fruits.

Qamar al-din is a popular Syrian beverage made from dried ______ paste. The paste is usually soaked in water overnight and the juice is strained the next morning. The juice is especially popular for breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

_______ is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Settled for the first time in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power moved to Baghdad.

The two most important cities in ancient Syria were ______ and Ebla, both founded after the cities of Sumer (Mari in the 5th and Ebla in the 3rd millennium BCE).

Mari was an ancient Semitic city in modern-day Syria. Its remains constitute a tell located 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the __________ river western bank.

Syria is considered to have emerged as an independent country on 24 October 1945, upon the signing of the United Nations Charter by the Syrian government, effectively ending _____________ by the League of Nations.

The Roman Theatre at Bosra is a large Ancient Roman theater in Bosra, in the district of Dar'a in south-western ________.

_________remains (upper and lower jaws and teeth, skull fragments, and non-cranial bones); on one of the bones, someone wrote "Shanidar II". From Shanidar Cave, Erbil, Iraq. Circa 60,000 to 45,00o BCE. On display at the Pre-History Gallery of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq.

Shanidar Cave is an archaeological site located in Bradost Mountain, Erbil of the Kurdistan region in ______________ where the remains of eight adult Neanderthals and two babies were found, dating back about 65,000 to 35,000 years.

In prehistoric times, Assyria was home to a _____________ culture like the one found in the Shanidar cave. The first Neolithic sites were the Jarmo culture c. 7100 BC, the Halaf culture c. 6100 BC, and the Hassuna culture c. 6000 BC.

The _____ was part of a walled processional path of blue-glazed bricks, with animals and deities in low relief that led into the city of Babylon. It was built around 575 BC. C. by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II.

King of Mesopotamia and master of animals, engraved on the handle of the Gebel el-Arak knife, dated around 3300-3200 BC. This artwork shows the influence of Mesopotamia during the Uruk period in __________.

The 7th Century Assyrian King Ashurbanipal built his luxurious palace on the banks of the Tigris River, the main water source for the king and his many subjects in the Assyrian capital of Nimrud.

_______ in a bas-relief on the wall of Sargon II's palace at Dur Sharrukin, Assyria (now Khorsabad, Iraq). Sargon II reigned 722-705 BC. C. and was one of the most important kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire who was the founder of the Sargonid dynasty.

A reconstruction exhibited in the ____________of the blue-tiled Ishtar Gate, which was the northern entrance to Babylon. It was named for the goddess of love and war. Bulls and dragons, symbols of the god Marduk, decorated the door.