Ar Raqqah
Raqqa is a city in Syria on the north bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo.
It is located 40 kilometres east of the Euphrates Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and bishopric Callinicum was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate between 796 and 809, under the reign of Harun al-Rashid. It was also the capital of the Islamic State from 2014 to 2017. With a population of 531,952 based on the 2021 official census, Raqqa is the sixth largest city in Syria.
Getting to Ar Raqqah
Buses and shared taxis do run from Damascus and Aleppo.
Worth seeing
- 01Great Mosque of Raqqa
First built in 772 AD, this mosque was extensively damaged by fighting in 2017.
- 02Ruins of Qasr al-Banat Castle
Ruins of a 12th century palace.
- 03Raqqa Museum
Damaged during the civil war, the museum has now been renovated and is once again open to the public.
- 04Raqqa City Walls
Assyrian fortifications, survived the 2017 siege of the city except for a 25-m-long stretch that was demolished to allow Syrian Democratic Forces troops to enter the Old City.
- 05Baghdad Gate
One of the surviving historic city gates.
- 06Tuttul
Archaeological site of the Broze Age town of Tuttul.
Where to eat
Al Baik Restaurant,. Shahba Restaurant,. Al Sanabel Chicken.
Getting around Ar Raqqah the local way
- Get inBuses and shared taxis do run from Damascus and Aleppo.
- Get aroundShared taxi is the most common way of getting around with in the city, walking is an option in the centre.
From Wikivoyage: Raqqa, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-04.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.