When Outside Contributing Editor Patrick Symmes went to Syria for the February 2006 Outside feature story, "The Sweetest Villains," he brought along British photographer Seamus Murphy. The duo traversed the country by car and train for 16 days this past September, entering by way of Beirut, Lebanon, and driving to the capital city of Damascus, and into the Bekaa Valley, following in the footsteps of the Crusaders, Lawrence of Arabia, and Agatha Christie along the way.

Syria Photo Gallery

To view exclusive images of Syria by Seamus Murphy, click here.

"Going into the country and coming out, we weren't too sure how we were going to be received with my camera," Murphy says. "We were told by journalists in Beirut to be very jovial, and laugh and smile a lot, and think nothing of it. That worked."

Along the way, Symmes and Murphy wandered through ancient Crusader castles, met with a Lebanese warlord, and hiked Lebanon's tallest peak—not quite making it to the summit after being swallowed by fog. They dined on stuffed grape leaves and Lebanese wine, and holed up in a palace for $30 a night. Finding the local guide with the most character, Symmes and Murphy traveled from the seaside town of Tartus to the northern city of Aleppo. Their journey bought them behind the scenes of a socialist country known for closing its doors.

Palmyra, Syria. The ruins of the second century city. Once a Greek outpost of considerable importance, it was annexed by Rome in AD 217 and became a centre of unsurpassed wealth. (Seamus Murphy)

Although London-based Murphy, 46, an accomplished freelance photographer and frequent contributor to Newsweek magazine, has traveled extensively in far-flung locales like Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Brazil, over ten African countries, and more, this was his first trip to Syria.

"I would get up early in the morning and wander around with the camera and spend hours doing that," Murphy recalls. "I always felt very safe there."

Well, almost always safe.

"I'm terrified of bad driving," he says. "That was the only time I felt in danger—when I was being driven around."