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This World: A History of Syria with Dan Snow

16/03/2013 GMT

A History of Syria with Dan Snow

BBC World News - This World, A History of Syria with Dan Snow

Dan Snow looks at how Syria's civil war has been shaped by the country's history

Dan Snow travels to Syria on a journey to explore the fascinating and tumultuous history that lies behind the civil war now raging in the country.

Dan Snow travels to Syria to see how the country's fascinating and tumultuous history is shaping the current civil war. For thousands of years, empires and despots have fought for control of the strategically vital region, leaving behind stunning temples, castles and mosques, as well as a diverse cultural heritage. Those conflicts - from the Roman conquests to the crusades, from the French colonial invasion to the military coups of the 1960s - loom large in today's conflict. For those confused by the seemingly random nature of the bloodshed and slaughter, Dan Snow unpicks the historic divisions between Sunnis and Alawites, Islamists and secularists, east and west.

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