Syria Souvenir

Syria Souvenir

Sitting in our plane at Schiphol Airport we see our suitcases entering the plane via a transport band. We fly directly to Damascus, a few hours in the air. Actually getting into Syria takes some time. Finally we can collect our luggage. Alas, my wife’s suitcase is not there. Staff tells us her suitcase is lost. Strange because we saw it enter the plane. My wife is not happy at all. Close to our Damascus Omayad Hotel we buy some essential stuff. Then we have dinner at famous restaurant Al Kamal. Portraits of President Assad on every corner of the streets. With his father or alone. Promotion of the Assad family.

Next day the hotel reception calls the airport people. Suitcase still lost but we are free to look around there. Our guide arrives and we drive to the airport. Together with a guy from ground staff I’m allowed in. A lot of walking and I have to show my passport regularly. In the end we go down to a big cellar. I don’t exaggerate when I estimate I see 4000 to 5000 suitcases. The man wants me to turn left. I ask where the recent luggage might be. That will be on the right. After a short while, I discover my wife’s suitcase. How did it end up here? What’s going to happen to all this ‘lost’ luggage?

Our guide/driver is called Ghalit, a Syrian Kurd from the north-west part of Syria. He is relatively young, married with two children. He is a soft, quiet man. The next few days, he will show us around in Syria. But first, a day or two in Lebanon.

When you are young you imagine a border crossing as a place with barbed wire, fences, armed guards and strict controls. That’s just how the Syrian-Lebanese border is. It´s impressive. Leaving Syria you have to pass two checkpoints. Then no-man´s land. A point to buy your Lebanese visa, a Lebanese check point, and finally Lebanon. Our guide was not so enthusiastic about this border crossing. He is visible relieved driving on again.

We drive through the Beqaa valley. This area is known as a little dangerous. It’s not really Lebanon ruling this valley. Sometimes it’s the Syrian army, sometimes a Palestinian resistance group. At the moment Hezbollah rules. Now and then we see big foto posters of Arab martyrs of the Arab-Israeli conflict alongside the road.

A stop at Anjar. Anjar was established in 714 as a Palace City by Umayyad caliph al-Walid. Onwards from 1939 a lot of Armenian refugees settled here. So nowadays the population consists almost entirely of Armenians.

Before reaching Baalbek we need to cross Hezbollah controlled territory. Somewhere along the road we are stopped by Hezbollah armed forces. The car trunk has to be opened. Our papers are checked once again.

In the afternoon we arrive in Baalbek. Check in Hotel Palmyra. A hotel that has known better days. It´s a little faded glory.

Baalbek, home to the Baalbek temple complex which includes two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins – the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. History comes alive in Baalbek.

In the late sun of the day we wander around. It´s a beautiful experience. We are the only people here. We meet guide Ghalit, also roaming the historical site. Together we sit down on a terrace drinking tea and smoking a shisha.

Direction Hama. A stop in Sarouj. They have beehive-looking houses here, houses made of mud. Ingeniously built. Looks like sustainable houses.

Hama. City in Syria. Their unique feature are the Norias of Hama, dating back from the Byzantine era. Norias are water wheels in the Orontes river crossing the city. There are 17 left serving only an aesthetic purpose these days. Because it´s Sunday a lot of families come together in the parks to talk and to barbecue. Very cozy. Many people invite us to join them.

Next day we visit the Apamea ruins. First a Greek city founded by a general serving Alexander the Great. Later extended by the Romans. Mark Antony and Cleopatra paid a visit here. Among the impressive remains is the great colonnade which ran for nearly 1,2 miles making it along the longest in the Roman world.

Serjilla then. A dead city, built in 473 during early time of Christianity, abandoned in the 7^th century when the Arabs conquered the region. Beautiful preserved. Therefore it´s called ´Christian Pompeii´.

Last visit of the day is Qala´at Samaan, the place where Simon the Pillar Saint who lived in the 5^th century spend 36 years sitting on a pillar. Remains of the pillar still exist. It´s surrounded by a Byzantine church complex.

Lunch at restaurant Bazaar. We enter the big souk of Aleppo, which is the beating heart of this great trading city. There are so many goods to be found on this market. From spices and traditional sweets to textiles, carpets and the famous Aleppo soap. The souk is the place for social and cultural exchange as well as commerce of course. Thanks to our guide we don’t get lost in this huge labyrinth. We experience the souk and submerge in its lively atmosphere.

Unfortunately the social fabric of Syria and the social relations that life in the souk once supported have been violently disrupted. During the civil war the souk itself was consumed by a fire that burned for days in September 2012.

In the evening we dine at restaurant Cordoba in the district Azizia. This is the most modern part of Aleppo. No veiled women here!

The Citadel is a large medieval fortified palace in the center of old Aleppo. It is one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Parts of it date back to the 3^rd millennium BC. It’s like a complete city built on a rock. So this sure makes an impressive sight. Alas during the civil war the Citadel was badly damaged.

Coffee at Baron Hotel. The oldest hotel of Syria. Started in 1870, the hotel was extended in 1909. In those days the place was situated in the outskirts of Aleppo. From the veranda guests could shoot ducks. We study the original hotel bill of Lawrence of Arabia who slept here.

Krak des Chevaliers. A crusader castle. Knight Richard Lion Heart once stayed here. One of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. A guide called Suleiman takes us around. He shows the places for the servants, the horses and their care-takers and the Master of the castle.

In the old city of Homs the Church of Saint Mary of the holy belt (Um Al Zennar) is located. This cathedral is the seat of the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop. What makes this place so special is that here they keep a part of the belt belonging to the virgin Mary.

When visiting the chapel a Christian lady starts to sing. Beautiful. All the other visitors – Muslims among them – listen quietly to her. Other peoples religions are respected here.

Driving miles through the desert. A desolate landscape. In the middle of no-where we drink coffee in the Bagdad café. We then arrive in Palmyra. A very ancient city, first mentioned in the early second millennium BC. It’s a huge place. We wander around. So much to see. All the time you imagine you are walking in a time-capsule. Monuments and buildings which survived for 22 centuries…

During the civil war Islamic State conquered Palmyra and destroyed part of the historical site.

Dinner in a nice restaurant. The local after dinner drink is called Arak. It’s a white anise-flavored drink with a little alcohol. When we spot Ghalit in the corner having dinner with some colleagues I ask the waiter to bring him an Arak too. ‘That man is a Muslim, he doesn’t drink alcohol’, he replies. ‘Bring it anyway’, I order. Ghalit is surprised. He toasts us and enjoys the Arak.

Check in in the Four Seasons Hotel, the hotel where the diplomats and foreign dignitaries stay. Did we really spot ex-president Carter here?

A taxi to the October War Panorama Museum. An exhibition about the Arab-Israeli war of October 1973. To enter we have to show our passports and credit cards. No walking around by ourselves. An English speaking guide comes along. Big paintings picturing battles of the past and of heroes like Saladin and Hafez al-Assad (father of nowadays president Assad). A movie of the October war is shown. But first we all have to stand listening to the national anthem.

In the top of the museum a grand panorama depicting the battle of Al Quneitra in the Golan heights. This was in the first two days of the October war when Syria seemed to be winning. Next hall a big statue of Hafez al-Assad, ‘our beloved and immortal leader’. There is even a picture of him meeting Kim Il-Sung of North Korea. The overdone adoration for Kim in North Korea equals that of Assad in Syria.

After dinner we smoke a shisha in the hotel lobby. We talk to a Syrian lady who works in a Botox clinic (…).

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. After the Muslim conquest of Damascus in 634, the mosque was built on the site of a Christian Basilica dedicated to John the Baptist. According to legends his head is still buried here. The mosque is also believed to be the place where Jesus (Isa in the Koran) will return at the end of days. Close to the mosque a mausoleum stands containing the tomb of Saladin. We walk around. The sights are impressive.

My wife has to wear a headscarf here. Putting it on is difficult. A nice Arab lady sees her trying and offers help. In no-time the job is fixed.

We wander through the souk. Have some coffee. I visit a barber. After finishing the haircut he puts a thread between his hands. He orders me to sit very still. Then by moving the thread quick and skillful he removes the hairs growing on my ears, my nose. It’s a unique experience.

Ghalit takes us to the airport. Ghalit was typical for the people we met here. Quiet, easy, hospitable. We say goodbye to him, wishing him and his family all the best. He still waves when we enter the Departure Hall.

How could we ever imagine that a few years later this terrible civil war would devastate his country?

This trip was made in 2008.

If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to leave a comment!

 culture middle east