Asphalt

Syria is known for its many exports, but bitumen has been a staple of the region's trade infrastructure for thousands of years. Also known as asphalt, the tar-like petroleum substance you may be more familiar with from your roads was at o­ne point commonly found bubbling up out of rocky bogs and springs. Here, it erupted from pressure spots deep under the earth and people used it to seal their houses, boat joints and devices. As technology progressed, so did refining techniques that allowed people to purify, isolate, and utilize the sticky substance in a number of other applications.

In Syria of antiquity, asphalt came seeping out near the Euphrates river; from there it was taken to sites all around the ancient world, holding together the bricks and stones that make up many of the UN World Heritage site structures still in existence today. Modern uses for asphalt include streets, of course, but also flat and sloped sealed roofs, cattle sprays and waterproofing for fabrics.

Cloth given a thin asphalt sealing treatment becomes relatively impermeable. Most asphalt is derived through refining crude petroleum, which Syria is a world expert at processing and exporting. Even though 85% of the asphalt consumed in the United States goes to roads, there is no shortage of environmental consideration being taken, as paving asphalt is o­ne of the US's most highly recycled materials. Its long lasting strength allows it to pass the test of time, but also to accommodate the heaviest loads, such as the planes that touch down o­n bitumen reinforced runways worldwide.