Visited Qunaitra about 3 weeks back with Felix. Had been last year, but interesting to revisit with the new perspective that time generally provides. Initially 'lost' by Syria in the summer of 1967, the Israelis drove the population of some thousands out and then totally demolished the town [really, you're lucky to see standing buildings] before the hand-over to Syria (mediated by the UN) in 1974. On this occasion, the then-president Hafez Al-Assad declared that the town would be rebuilt. In the end what happened was that it was left exactly untouched, largely for its propaganda value. To visit, you need to get a military permit (from a building just round the corner from my house) which allows you to enter the UN-administered demilitarised zone at the Golan Heights. Photos given here show what was left behind...