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If I got a dollar every time someone said, “Syria….
why the hell would you going there?” I would have had enough
money to fly to Italy! Little do we westerners know, about the marvelous
treasures and wonderful people inhabiting the mid west side of the
Middle East. I start my trip report, a four part series, in the
city Syrians call Ash-Sham, the city of Damascus. Arguably the oldest
inhabited city in the world (civilization traced back to the 20th
century), Damascus was surging with people in the streets, souqs,
alleys and parks. There are 4 million people that live in the city,
but the population balloons to an astonishing 6 million during working
hours, hustle and bustle to say the least. I begin with my favorite
place in town…the Souq al-Hamidiyya. The souq is like a street
market that goes on forever, with little shops in every nook and
cranny imaginable. The sweet, pungent aromas of turmeric; basil
and cumin mixed with petrol filled the air. Every corner you turned
you would find something; Lingerie, spices, soaps, fruit, shoes,
rugs, argyle (water pipe), music CD’s, chess pieces, ice cream,
and souvenirs of all kinds. The souq was swarming with people in
every which direction. It seemed as though there was no rhyme or
reason to the traffic, yet the proclaimed blind man selling cigarettes
amongst it all didn’t seem to have any troubles navigating
to his next customer. The souq functioned around the third oldest
mosque in the world, the Umayyad Mosque. Damascus was not a city
of crime. Would be criminals were too scared, for if one would commit
a crime the repercussions would not be favorable…perhaps a
few years in the ever popular Syrian jails. The old city of Damascus
was made up of twisted streets and alleyways so tight that the little
Suzuki vans barely squeeze by a donkey pulling a cart or a group
of people. Houses were so close together they touch at the top,
and streets were a maze and echoed of beeping, fast moving micro’s
and taxis, enough to make a visitors head spin. Amongst all the
chaos however were extremely old artifacts and buildings, and if
you take your time and look close you will uncover some of the oldest
treasures in the form of statues, old 15th century houses, fountains
churches and mosques. For a very hectic place, the people provided
a sense of calm with their hospitality. Inviting you at every chance
they could for some chi or Turkish coffee. Damascus is a tightly
knit society where people like to shoot the breeze and discuss life
thus a passing visitor is an excellent opportunity to get a different
perspective. My travel partner and beautiful girlfriend Souzan was
very helpful to me as she is from Damascus and spoke the language
well. Life is a lot easier when you can communicate effectively,
and learning Arabic was no over night feat. Although populated,
Damascus was not very big and it didn’t cost more than 50
– 100 Syrian Pounds ($1 –2 USD) to take a taxi across
the city. The nightlife in Damascus was exciting. Two ways to go
about this would be to have dinner and argyle at one of the many
restaurants with friends or family, or go to a disco and dance with
the many students from all over the world. One memorable place to
spend an evening was called the Mar-Mar in the old city. A memorable
restaurant called Abu-izz displayed an old Bedwin décor and
had a set meal program of meat pies, humus, lebneh, shish kebob
and tawook, kibi, tabouleh and fresh flat bread and vegetables.
During our meal we were entertained by a popular singer, band and
whirling dervishes that were very theatrical. Probably the most
notable aspect of Damascus was the lack of poverty. Syria has been
governed by a socialist government for the last 30 some odd years.
Therefore basic human needs are met in the form of food, jobs and
shelter. One day in the Souq I was walking with a friend and bought
fresh flat bread and had a falafel made for less than 10 Syrian
pounds. Quality food you will surely not get at McDonalds!
Picture Order
1. City Driving
2. Souq al-Hamidiyya
3. Souq 2
4. Souq shopping
5. Umayyad Mosque
6. Whirling dervish
7. Fine cuisine with a fine woman
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