Maaloula and Kraks, a brief preview
Welcome to Maaloula, land of Aramaic.
Le Krak des Chaveliers (Crusader Castle)
Your's Truly at the Citadel castle.
An olive and pistachio tree in Abraham's Mosque at the Citadel castle
Medina Souq
Boston Time: 3:00 PM 30 May
Aleppo Time: 10:00 PM 30 May
An early evening in Aleppo brought Andrea, Stephanie, Christina and I to Medina Souq, where we traversed the winding alleys of the market looking for silver, scarves and soaps. The confused look in our American eyes sparked a young merchant to ask if we were tourists and to invite us to his shop for a look and some tea “for hospitality.”
Mahmoud makes Andrea custom pearl earings.
His small shop displayed silver bangles, beaded jewelry and silk scarves as we drank flower tea with sugar and he offered to make custom earrings and necklaces if we found none to our liking. After about an hour, he led us down a maze of streets to his uncle’s antique shop where Andrea and Christina were hoping to find a few small daggers. Waddah, Mahmoud’s uncle offered us tea,“for hospitality,” and ensured us the “student price” throughout his shop, a gallery of art-antiques, folklore and oriental souvenirs.
We sat drinking the tea with cinnamon on a small couch with two other tourists. Learning they were from France, I quickly pointed out Andrea, our French extraordinaire, in part to end the awkward silence separating our two groups. They have been on vacation for three years! Isabelle and Bruno have been riding their bikes all over Europe and the surrounding region and don’t plan on going home until they are “tired.” Bruno foresaw another 10 years of riding; 3 years in Asia and then they hope to see the Americas. I told them when they were in the states they should head to Harris Cyclery if they need any fixing and Andrea invited them to stay at her home in the Berkshires. They update pictures to their own blog every 15 days.
Mahmoud, Me, Isabelle, Waddah, Bruno, Christina, and Stephanie at Waddah's shop (l to r)
After a long while at Waddah’s, as he continued to attempt a sale with Andrea, as we attempted to leave. She was clear in her decision of “no” but eventually made the purchase, cracking under the pressure. Tired and spent (both literally and figuratively) we needed Mahmoud to lead us out of the market towards the direction of our hotel. As we walked, he was questioned by men in uniform—shop owners are not supposed to walk with tourists or shout at them, because the tourism police don’t want foreigners to feel harassed. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to peak some famous Syrian soaps, made here in Aleppo of laurel and olive oil, and then in a small shop for some sweets.
Ministry of Information and the Media
Boston Time: 3:20 PM 28 May
Damascus Time: 10:20 PM 28 May
Each event we attend is a strange formal surprise, as we are always unsure of what to expect. Today we met with the Minister of Information in a press conference with some members of the Syrian media.
Syrian television camera man and microphone man.
I do not like press conferences, although I am told they are different in the states. The video and cameramen kept knocking my knees and stepping on my feet and in my sight line. The minister and his translator, as well as members of the press core, continued to talk over each other. Often, Arabic sentences or side comments were left without translations, and though they weren’t intended for the entire room, this felt a bit rude. The physical discomfort made it hard to completely focus in on the verbal content of the meeting.
The Syrian media was also present during our meeting with the Mayor of Quneitra before touring the Golan Heights. There too I felt annoyed and uncomfortable by the constant shuffle, disruption and imposition of my personal space. My face was on Syrian television news.
Be sure to read the blogs of my peers for more (actual) insight into the intense meeting.
The Cult of the Personality
President Bashar Al Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Everywhere we go, this man is watching us. His portrait is plastered on billboards, buildings, in classrooms, and even on the entire back windows of cars. This lows my mind for several reasons, including:
1. Does he hang them up or do people hang them up on their own accord? I am guessing it is some sort of mandate since it is a consistent image and size and is everywhere?
2. Why didn’t they photoshop out his stubble? It also seems as though he should have more forehead wrinkles considering all the worrying I assume a president would do.
3. The American Embassy in Egypt only had an 8 x 10 of Pres. Obama and Hillary and a pixelated computer print out of Biden in their entrance hall above their security check-in.
A few students are doing a photo-essay of the Pres’ portrait so look for that soon on the main blog.
Welcome to Syria
Boston Time: 1:22 PM 25 May
Damascus Time: 8:22 PM 25 May
“If you don’t have a past, you’ll never have a future.”
On our first full day in Syria, our guide, Osama, educated us a bit on Syria’s cultural history with a tour of the National Museum. There we saw many old Syrian and Islamic artifacts including carved tablets, Roman statues, iron jewelry and ancient clay cookie cutters, to name a few. One exhibit was a very old synagogue dated from the 2nd century CE. While synagogues and mosques are free of imagery that could be considered idolatry, this synagogue was special and rare because its walls and ceilings were completely covered in frescos of Scriptural scenes. Osama pointed out one wall’s painting of the Jewish woman Esther, whom Osama said is the woman depicted in Starbuck’s logo (due to the companies Zionist leadership.)
We also visited the shrine of Salahuddin at the Umayyad Mosque, the Azem Palace, the Christian section of Old Damascus, and the adjoining market place where you can find the most delicious falafel wrap sandwich you will ever eat. The tiny stand is adorned with lettuce and other fresh vegetation and looks like it belongs in that painting where the man’s face is made of fruits and vegetables. The falafel men behind the window partner the donut shaped falafel with a glorious combination of fresh fruits and veggies including lettuce, tomatoes, sliced lemon, and mint, tied together in a fresh pita. For 25 Syrian Lire, or less than 50 cents, it is the most lovely fast meal you might ever find. For my first one, it simply smelled so amazing and felt so clean and fresh, I didn’t even consider that maybe I should be a bit careful with the vegetables, etc. It was quickly devoured and we returned the next day. Delicious.
Another big deal here in the Middle East, or at least Egypt and Syria is fresh fruit. After our 25 SL meal, I had a fresh squeezed orange juice for 150 SL. Another flavor that cannot be missed is cantaloupe juice! I cannot wait to go to Haymarket after my return home to stack up on the melon and attempt to recreate the refreshing green drink.
Mosques
Boston Time: 10:39 AM 25 May
Damascus Time: 5:39 PM 25 May
The oldest standing mosque in Africa, the Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, was built around 876 CE on the same site where Noah’s Ark purportedly landed after a long ordeal with a famous flood. It was a large walled fortress also used as a center for commerce, health care and education as well as prayer and Friday gatherings. Today it is no longer an active mosque though people still venture here to pray, or soak in its magnificent history and architecture. The minaret at Ibn Tulun, with its stairs circling around the outside, is a vestige of Baghdadi style.
Canvas foot bags.
Minaret of the Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun
The ablution fountain at Ibn Tulun.
While all beautiful, the different mosques we have seen so far have reflected different eras and cultures. The Mosque of Mohammad Ali stands above the city of Cairo and took between 20 and 30 years to build in the 1800s. Its grand silver domes reflect an Ottoman design and lifts its style off of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
The silver domes of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
Inside the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
The Umayyad Mosque of Old Damascus, built in 70 CE has to have been my favorite so far. The mosque served as a house of worship for many generations of different creeds and for a time was used as both an Islamic mosque and Christian church. “It is unique in its engineering, architecture & decoration…[and] considered a school in building and architecture for the world mosques.” Also, it claims to be Islam’s most famous mosque, although I have always assumed that title to belong to the mosque holding the Kabba in Mecca. The mosque has three minarets, including the Jesus Minaret, which has a rare square shape and pencil-like top of the mosque’s Ottoman style.
Very beautiful, the Umayyad Mosque was my favorite not for the actual structure and décor of the mosque, courtyard and sanctuary, but for what I witnessed there. One way in which the mosque was unique was the call to prayer; instead of one man, the call was performed by a “band” of men (no instruments). The midday call was lead by one individual with his a cappella accompaniment chiming in intermittently, adding a different sense sincerity and community to the already enchanting call. In a way, it reminded me of a choir. During the prayer, the women remained in the back of the sanctuary as the men faced Mecca along the front wall. As observers, we were not asked to leave during this time and I stood quietly near the women, watching the room prostrate itself and perform the sallah.
Osama said, Jerusalem is the cradle of Jesus but Syria is the cradle of the church so we also visited the St. Ananias Church in Old Damascus. To get there, we wandered through the old Christian community of small alleyways, flowered canopies and Straight Street, the oldest street in the world, dated back to 1 AD. St. Paul walked down this same street to St. Ananias where he was baptized. The small stone church is essentially underground because of all the years of ground and soil that have accumulated around it, either naturally or due to conquering nations building up the city. The building was quaint, but not nearly as moving as Umayyad.
New Friends
Boston Time: 1:29 PM 24 May
Damascus Time: 8:29 PM 24 May
“Don’t touch each other, it’s just not part of the culture.”
-Prof. Carlene
On our first night in Damascus I finally was able to put into words something that has been pestering me for a short while: “I miss hugs.” The hand holding and hugging of every day, the resting of one’s tired head on a friend’s shoulder has been absent. Not having had human contact for the last several weeks has yielded a strange emotional effect. It takes time to learn new people’s boundaries and how slowly or quickly they advance from acquaintance to friend and it seems as though many of us truly making that transition. Everyone one on the trip is nice and sociable for the most part, but realizing that these are not just other students to befriend for survival while abroad, but genuine individuals with whom I can share experiences even after our travels have concluded in June. Though we aren’t able to have contact of even the friendliest gestures while in public spaces, my new friends have made it clear that their arms and hearts are open.
Welcome to Damascus
Boston: 3:50 PM 22 May
Damascus: 10:50 PM 22 May
Arrived in Damascus this afternoon after a 1 ½ hour flight from Cairo on EgyptAir. Before the plane even left the ground, some men several rows behind where I was seated began yelling loudly in Arabic. Unable to understand their words (the argument was apparently regarding one man’s the want of an aisle seat), the behavior was in extreme conflict of my understanding of proper airplane manners. However, no one was escorted off the plane or visibly disciplined—the man was simply given his seat and he stopped yelling. One of the flight attendants said it happens all the time that people will change their seats and sit where they want on the plane, disregarding their assigned position. Had we been in the U.S. this man would have been promptly removed from the aircraft. While his behavior startling and unsettling, I cannot say I was surprised that he wasn’t removed—things just seem to be handled differently here. Everything is more casual, leisurely and cohesive, but also works against a conservative system of class, baksheesh and constant police surveillance. For example, our friend Karim wasn’t allowed into Flamenco hotel and was charged a cover at Goal, where we have all been let in without question, this man disrupted and disturbed an entire airplane of people and was obliged his demands for an aisle seat.
Arab League
Boston Time: 5:22 PM 21 May
Cairo Time: 12:22 AM 21 May
“A visit cannot cure the problems of the world, but a visit can be the beginning.”
The Arab League formed in 1945 as a forum to discuss and garner Arab unity. Their spokesperson and 2nd in command, said that this was the “wrong way to go” and the League should have been more modest and humble in the trajectory of their goals. For example, the Arab nations may have found more success in creating a universal monetary system, like the Euro, rather than attempting trade treaties with France and Germany to bolster their nations’ economies.
The whole gang together.
He was honest in admitting that the Arab League has had both successes and failures over the years, and like any regional power, has been criticized for being ineffective. Any discussion between nations is better than nothing—just as our short 7 week dialogue here in the Middle East is a valuable experience. Though we have barely had time to absorb and truly process all that we have encountered here in Cairo, a foundation has been laid against which we will be able to built a more educated global consciousness.
Bahrain's Seat at the Arab League
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