Ugarit (Tell Shamra)

Overview

Ugarit was a Late Bronze Age maritime kingdom whose scribes developed a 30-sign cuneiform alphabet around 1400 BCE — the direct ancestor of the Phoenician and Latin scripts.

Significance

The first true alphabetic script known to humanity.

Notable Features

• 01Royal Palace
• 02Ancient harbour at Minet el-Beida
• 03Alphabetic cuneiform discoveries
• 04Temples of Baal and Dagan
• 05Library of the High Priest

Major Attractions

• 01

  Royal Palace

  A 90-room palace of the 14th–13th centuries BCE with an internal garden court and the famous administrative archives.

• 02

  Library of the High Priest

  Where the Baal cycle and other Ugaritic mythological texts were discovered — foundational documents of Northwest Semitic literature.

• 03

  Temples of Baal and Dagan

  Twin temples on the acropolis with surviving stelae and altar bases.

• 04

  Minet el-Beida

  Ugarit's harbour town, a kilometre west on the coast — the trade gateway to Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean.

Visitor Tips

• ›Combine with the National Museum of Damascus, where the Baal stele and the alphabet tablet are displayed.
• ›Easy 30-minute drive from Latakia — pair with a beach afternoon at Ras al-Basit or Ras Ibn Hani.
• ›Bring a sun-hat — there is no shade on the tell.

What to Eat Nearby

• Samakeh Harra

  Latakia's signature spicy baked fish — perfect after a hot morning on the tell.

• Coastal mezze

  Muhammara, fish kibbeh, and grilled sardines on the Latakia corniche.

Where to Stay

• Le Méridien Lattakia

  Five-star resort

  Beachfront resort 20 minutes south of the site.

• Côte d'Azur de Cham Resort

  Resort

  Large coastal resort on Ibn Hani peninsula.