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DAMASCUS: JUNE 2, 2000 - JUNE
3, 2000
DAMASCUS: A STEP BACK IN TIME, RICH IN CULTURE AND TRADITION Friday, June 2, 2000 We're in Baby! For months we have been concerned about traveling to Syria. The main reason for this concern was the Israel passport stamp stigma. The policy in Syrian immigration is that they will not allow any Israeli citizen or any person that has ever traveled into Israel into their country. We wanted to visit Israel and Syria, and it made sense for us to travel to Israel first. We had read and heard horror stories about people attempting to enter Syria, only to have their baggage searched and guide book and journal examined for evidence of a visit to Israel. We experienced a hint of this hostility when we applied for our Syria visa. The official asked us if we had ever traveled to Israel. We honestly answered in the negative (as this was before our visit to Israel); however, he still carefully examined our passports. He was very friendly otherwise...I guess he was just doing his job. Nevertheless, we threw caution to the wind and traveled through Israel first. We were able to avoid getting an exit passport stamp from Jordan and an entry stamp from Israel, and the same on the way back to Jordan. Jordan does not recognize the West Bank to be Israel territory, so when we crossed over the Allenby Bridge, they did not consider that an exit out of Jordan and, therefore, did not stamp our passports. Israel kindly obliged our request for no stamp because they are frequently asked for this and, also, they do not want to deter tourists from entering their country. We enjoyed Israel immensely, and we were happy that we traveled through Israel first as it just made sense geographically. However, when it came time to leave, we sent all evidence of our visit to Israel back to the United States, and we purged anything that did not warrant the postage to the U.S. We also had prepared a false itinerary that put us in Jordan the entire time in the case of interrogation by the border officials. This itinerary included Rich suffering a terrible illness that laid him up for days. Oh, we were ready for the Syrian officials, but we were nervous. As our bus neared the border into Syria, I recited our mock itinerary in my head and tried to look as conservative and ordinary as possible so that I would blend into the crowd. This was a little difficult since 80% of the women on our bus were wearing long robes and veils, some that covered their entire faces. Rich and I approached the emigration counter and observed dozens of border control officers walking around behind the counter. I had already decided that I would let Rich do all of the talking, which I know is a cop-out, but also a wise move. The official looked at our passports very carefully. However, he did not ask us any questions...not even, "Have you ever been to Israel?" We did not even have to tell a lie. As we walked away from the counter and approached the door, we asked the officer at the door if we were finished. He said, "yes". And that was it. Months of worrying and schedule adjusting culminated in one of the easiest border crossings that we have experienced in the 20 countries that we have visited over the past 8 months. I did not know whether to be thrilled or disappointed. Actually, I am thrilled that we have successfully entered the country of Syria. We have started our travels in the city of Damascus, which is an enchanting city that reminds us of movies from the 1950s. The people go out of their way to welcome us, yet they do not eventually ask us to purchase anything or follow them to a restaurant, shop or hostel. After arriving this morning, we explored the Old City area. The main attraction of the Old City is the Umayyad Mosque, which is said to be the most famous mosque in all of the world, and the most sacred to the Islamic religion, second only to Mecca and Medina. Hmmm...that is what they said about the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Regardless of the rankings, we found the mosque to be architecturally breathtaking. The large courtyard reminded us of St. Mark's Square in Venice and the inside of the mosque was grand. Although we did not find it to be as magnificent as the Dome of the Rock, we found it to be more interesting, as there were many Syrian people gathered inside to take in the religious energy, socialize and, of course, participate in the afternoon prayer of their holy day, Friday.
Dome in the center of the Umayyad with the names of the significant leaders of Islam, including their god Allah.
Saturday, June 3, 2000 Second day in Damascus. This has been one of the most cultural enriching day in the Middle East. The streets of Old Damascus on a Saturday afternoon are a site in themselves. Families walk around in their traditional Muslim clothing having a wonderful time together as they shop in the Souq al-Hamidiyya, a long and wide covered market street. Shop owners chat with the passers-by, while boys walk around trying to sell such useless items as tall balloons and real stuffed falcons. We had a wonderful time walking through the crowded market and slipping down quiet, narrow cobble stone streets to catch a glimpse of the tall but slim homes that line the streets. While walking down one of the quiet alleys, we heard a man call out from his window. "Join me for some tea". We had already experienced the friendly nature of the Syrian people, and therefore, decided to take this man up on his invitation. We entered his modest home and he quickly made room on the floor for us in a dark and dank front room. The man's name was Abbud and he had a friend named Mohammed. We chatted for about one hour and drank several cups of delicious tea. Although there was a large language barrier, we managed to discuss Syria, America and Mike Tyson. They really liked Mike. They told us some disturbing news, and that was that Mike is going to box a woman. Is this true? Or did they really say that Mike boxes like woman? A little later we strolled into the Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque. Before I could walk through the door, I was handed a long black robe to wear inside the mosque, even though I was already wearing a long dress, full sleeves and a scarf that covered all of my hair. However, I am glad that they gave me the robe, as the long black robe seemed to be the fashion in this strict Iranian mosque. After admiring the beautiful courtyard, we entered the interior of the prayer hall, which was also beautiful, but covered with mirrors. This Las Vegas-like style decoration was different than any other place of worship that I have experienced. The worshipping inside the mosque was intense, to say the least. Over a hundred women sat Indian style on the carpet, wailing and beating their chests. I felt like I was in their way and became very nervous. I was happy to see Rich come from the men's side of the prayer hall. Although, I must say that this was a very powerful experience. After a day of full sightseeing, we treated ourselves to a huge buffet dinner and hours of Syrian music and whirling Dervish dancers.
After
Damascus, we traveled to see the Ancient Roman city of Palmyra and then to see
fourteenth century Crusader castles outside of Hama in northern Syria. I
loved Hama. It is a charming little town and our hostel there was
fabulous. I wanted to stay for weeks, however we had to cut it down to two
days and move on to Turkey.
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