Amazing history, and amazingly friendly people.
I have never gone to a country where I was made
to feel more welcome.
And safe?
You bet.
Nothing like a despotic dictatorship to keep things in order...
Many classic U.S. automobiles are still
on the road in Syria.
I first entered Syria from the north,
crossing the Turkish border south of
Gaziantep.
I was traveling with a couple of girls from
New Zealand.
The three of us got a ride from the border to
Aleppo in what I think was a 1955 Chevrolet.
Here comes another classic on a street near
the citadel.
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As for a place to stay in Aleppo,
the Hotel Najem Akhdar,
also known as the Hotel Najem Ilhadar,
can't be beat.
400 SL (US$ 10) for a double with sink and shower,
250 SL (US$ 6.25) for a single with
sink, shower, and toilet.
It's at Hamman Al-Tal (in the Russian/Armenian bazaar),
phone +963-21-239157.
From the bus station,
go down Al-Maari to the clock tower.
Facing the clock tower, seen here,
a Russian / Armenian bazaar
district is ahead and to your right.
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Go down the first alleyway right of the clock tower.
About 30 meters past where it is partially roofed
over, turn onto the first real alleyway to your right.
About the third doorway on the right
(behind the white truck in this picture)
opens into a hallway.
That leads to a staircase with an Armenian
clothing store on the first floor up.
The hotel is above that.
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If the Najem Akhdar is full,
they'll direct you to the Hotel el-Shark.
It's a little dodgey, but it may be the only thing
available if you show up late in the day.
200 SL (US$ 5) for a bed in a shared room.
Avoid the places along Al-Maari between
the bus station and Bab al-Faraj,
as they're mostly brothels operated by ex-Soviets.
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A view of Aleppo out my window at
the Hotel Najem Akhdar.
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For best meals I've had in the Middle East,
and maybe the best meals I've ever had on the road,
go to the Al-Andalib restaurant in Aleppo.
It's on the rooftop at the south-east corner
of the intersection just north of the Baron Hotel
on Baron Street.
Syrian cooking tends to be very good,
particularly in comparison to what you get
in some of the neighboring areas.
And the Al-Andalib is outstanding even beyond
Syrian high standards.
Just go hungry, as the dinners are huge.
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Aleppo has the best bazaars of the Middle East,
in my opinion.
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Better than either Istanbul or Cairo
for that Indiana Jones feeling.
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OK, so why does so much of Hamas look like there was
wide-spread demolition that never got cleaned up?
Back in 1982 there was an attempted uprising by a
Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood,
something like
Al-Jama'ah Al-Islamiyyah
or
Hizb Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon.
Hefez Assad had his own military — armored vehicles
and artillery on the ground, and bombing by the
air force — put down the uprising.
The city still shows the effects in places.
The government would not admit to having bombed large sections
of its own major city to rubble,
so they couldn't very well start a major renovation project.
It's still being rebuilt in bits and pieces, very slowly.
With the public fear of the ruthless government,
the local attitude is
"Destruction? What destruction?"
as they clamber over piles of rubble.
Of course, that was the end of the Syrian branch of the
Muslim Brotherhood.
The Egyptian branch of that organization went on to become
al-Qaida — unfortunately Assad didn't get them all.
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From Hamas you can go east into the desert
(about 80 km from the Iraqi border),
to Palmyra, an absolutely amazing ancient ruin.
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It was run by
Zenobia, the warrior queen.
She was eventually defeated by Roman forces
and taken back to Rome in chains.
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The city was abandoned,
and eventually was thought to be nothing more than
legends for a thousand years or so,
before someone rediscovered it.
A fantastic place not to be missed,
like something out of a story by H. Rider Haggard
or Robert E. Howard.
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To get there, take a minibus from Hamas.
Check out the radar antennas right along the road
as you transit the Syrian Air Force Base
about half-way there.
8-over-8 arrays of 6-element Yagi antennas
that look to me to be in the 100-140 MHz range.
All pointing east — no surprise.
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There's not a lot of choice on budget housing
at Palmyra.
Hotel Afqa behind the PTT isn't too bad,
but be ready for serious haggling!
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For something that makes "Midnight Express"
look fairly pleasant,
try to schedule a visit to
the police station and jail in Palmyra.
For details of my visit, see
an extract from my Christmas letter.
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There are the ancient ruins in the valley,
and the crusades-era castle overlooking the
site from the hill.
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For the most part,
you are free to wander around on your own.
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Make sure to take plenty of water and dress
for the desert!
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One of the three-wheel vehicles common in Syria.
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The Palmyran people built unusual
square funerary towers.
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The interior of a funerary tower.
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Jericho and Babylon were settled earlier,
but Damascus is the oldest city still occupied.
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It's the most multi-cultural place I've been —
walking down the street you see a mix of
Bedouin just in from the desert;
urban dwellers;
Yemeni and Somali supermodel women in
brightly colored robes;
and Christian monks in coarse brown robes and sandals.
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The picture above and this picture show the modern
road paralleling the Roman-era wall around
the Old City.
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Here is the fortified part of the old city wall
believed to be where the apostle Paul was
lowered in a basket,
to escape his angry former colleagues.
After many days had gone by,
the Jews conspired to kill him,
but Saul learned of their plan.
Day and night they kept close watch on the
city gates in order to kill him.
But his followers took him by night and
lowered him in a basket through an opening
in the wall. [Acts 9:22-25]
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The Jupiter Gate at the east end
of the covered bazaar.
Named that for the Temple of Jupiter that
stood there in Roman times.
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The western entrance to the covered bazaar.
For great meals in Damascus, go to the Al-Arabi
just southeast of Martyrs' Square
toward the covered bazaar.
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You see a banner of Hefez Assad in the picture
above, here is a better picture.
I haven't been to Syria since he died and his
son Bashar took over.
Not to be too flippant,
but he looks an awful lot
like Maxwell Smart in many of these banners...
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This begins a series of pictures of
The Street Called Straight.
Mark Twain has a funny passage in
"The Innocents Abroad"
where he says that the writer Luke was an unappreciated
master of ironic humor for referring to it as
"The Street That is Called Straight"
as opposed to simply
"The Straight Street" — the point being
that it is called "straight" but
it is not straight.
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The Street Called Straight near the covered bazaar.
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Looking east, away from the covered bazaar,
on The Street Called Straight.
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Continuing east on The Street Called Straight.
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Bab Sharqi,
or the
Eastern Gate,
where The Street Called Straight
reaches the old city wall.
Pronounced "Bob Sharkey",
this sounds like the old Damascus used-car salesman.
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The entrance to the Chapel of Ananias,
built over the home where Paul was taken in
when he was blind after his Road-to-Damascus
experience.
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In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias.
The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.
The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas
on the street called Straight
and ask for a man from
Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come and place his hands on him
to restore his sight."
"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many
reports about this man and all the harm
he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
And he has come here with authority from the
chief priests to arrest all who call
on your name."
But the Lord said to Ananias,
"Go! This man is my chosen instrument to
carry my name before the Gentiles and their
kings and before the people of Israel.
I will show him how much he must suffer
for my name."
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it
Placing his hands on Saul, he said,
"Brother Saul, the Lord — Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road as you were
coming here — has sent me so that you
may see again and be filled with the
Holy Spirit."
Immediately, something like scales fell from
Saul's eyes, and he could see again.
He got up and was baptized,
and after taking some food,
he regained his strength.
[Acts 9:10-19]
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If you're looking to buy a carpet in Damascus,
Babel's Shop has a good selection.
They made a sale — this carpet is now
in my living room.
From Beluchistan,
wool-on-wool,
woven around 1950-1955.
How does a Damascus dealer come to have a
decades-old carpet from the
Iran - Pakistan - Afghanistan triple border region?
Shi'a Islam (e.g., Iran)
emphasizes the hajj as one of the
Five Pillars of Islam.
But unlike in Sunni Islam,
the Shi'ites venerate saints, positive examples,
and often undertake pilgrimages to visit the tombs
or birthplaces of especially holy figures.
An Iranian family made a pilgrimage to Damascus,
and brought along some of their carpets
to sell while in Damascus to finance the trip.
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The Omayyad Mosque,
the main mosque in central Damascus,
is dedicated to John the Baptist.
It houses what is believed to be his tomb
(or at least the tomb for his head,
after that run-in with Herod and Salome).
And, the main mosque in Aleppo is dedicated to Ananias,
the father of John the Baptist.
All the holy men of Christianity are holy men
to Islam,
although it's a bit confusing when you
first run into this.
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The large minaret, visible from the main courtyard,
is the Jesus Minaret.
Well, literally it's the
Isa Minere, as that's how it's pronounced
in Arabic, but you get the point...
The Islamic belief is that Jesus will appear there
on Judgement Day.
Told you it was confusing.
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Damascus includes one of the greatest budget hotels
ever — the Al Haramain,
a leftover of French mandate days.
It's on Bahsa Street, a pedestrian-only street
(it has a staircase!), phone +963-11-321-94-89.
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From Martyrs' Square go one block north to
Choukri Kouwatli, running NW-SE.
Cross to the north side of Choukri Kouwatli,
and turn right.
About a hundred meters down the street a small alley
covered with a lattice of vines leads down a few steps
to the left — that's Bahsa.
The Al Haramain is about five doors ahead,
on the left.
If they're full, there is a similar place or two
further along Bahsa.
A courtyard with marble fountain,
leaded glass windows on the doors,
and antique furniture in the rooms.
About 150 SL (US$ 3 at black market rates)
for a bed in a shared room, or 500 SL for a double.
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When I stayed there in 1997, I noticed that they had
a collection of postcards sent from home by people
who had stayed there.
When I got home, I sent them a card.
I received a very nice card from them
in October 2001.
They had kept any envelopes in which they had received
cards.
After the al-Qaida attacks on the U.S.,
they had sent letters of condolence and support
to their former American guests — even
ones who had last stayed there four years before.
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In their letter they first said that they hoped
that none of my family or friends were harmed
in the attacks.
They then expressed shock and disgust
over the attacks,
and said that they hoped that
the American public realized that the attacks
were not an expression of true Islam.
Well, that was in 2001, back before the U.S. threw
away almost all available good will....
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The second time I stayed there, the staff (largely
one extended family) wanted me to meet a cousin
who had not been there the first time.
This was because he had been working as a contract
laborer in Saudi Arabia.
What he said really stuck with me — he was
so glad to be home in Syria,
where he had so much more freedom,
and there was so much less oppression.
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That's right — compared to Saudi Arabia,
he saw Syria as the land of freedom.
One of the more telling comments I have ever
heard about the Magic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...
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On my first visit to Syria, I took Syrian Arab Airlines
back to Istanbul.
A fine Tu-154 with all metal bulkhead panels inside.
Kind of like being in the Soviet Air Force.
Fairly cheap flights can be purchased from agencies
around Martyr's Square in Damascus,
if your travel plans are somewhat flexible.