"I've been to..." with Matthew - Syria

Because I'm the best wife ever (it's true, just ask him.  On second thought, maybe don't ask.  Just take my word for it.)  Anyway.  I decided to give Matthew his very own series on
Oh, the places we will go!
 

 I even made him his own badge and you can now find him on my sidebar. I've also revamped the About Me page to include a little bit about the both of us who make up the "we" in
Oh, the places we will go!

Matthew has had some really amazing experiences throughout his travels.  I love listening to his stories (it helps that he tells them with an adorable British accent.)

I think you'll enjoy them also.

I've been to Syria. 

In 2004, I spent a week in Syria as part of a 3 week tour offered by Explore Worldwide through Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.  A great tour, which for obvious reasons is not currently available.

Syria was a great county to visit.  Sufficiently “funky” to deter casual tourists, but chock full of fascinating sights and experiences.  It is really painful to see what is happening to the country, and to think what might happen in the future.

Our tour started and ended in the capital Damascus, which is truly a city of history and contrasts.  The centre of the city is dominated by the Umayyad mosque, the fourth holiest mosque in Islam and the home of the Basilica of St John the Baptist, further evidence that the major religions have more in common than you think.  Next door is the tomb of Saladin (or Salah ad-Din if you prefer), who once ruled Jerusalem and Cairo, who was a good friend of Richard the Lionheart.

The Ummayad Mosque, the most tranquil and peaceful religious site I've ever visited.

We visited Aleppo, where we toured the ancient citadel and visited a hammam, where I received a brutal massage from the hairiest man I have ever seen.  We visited the amazing crusader fort of Krak-des-Chevaliers, built in the 12^th century by the crusaders (after the death of Saladin).

Krak-des-Chevaliers - as impressive to visit as you would expect from its location.

Phto

We travelled deep into the Syrian desert, at one point closing within 14 km of the Iraqi border, which was close enough back in 2004, let me tell you.  One of the highlights of the week was a visit to the Roman town of Palmyra.  The first settlement was built in the 2^nd century BC, and the desert conditions have preserved the city extremely well.  As with all Explore tours, a full and invigorating itinerary.

Palmyra - once a verdant oasis, now not so much.

We visited Hama, famous for its water wheels (norias), first built in the 11^th century BC, although the ones you see today are “only” from the 14^th century.  They were built to irrigate the land and to supply drinking water for domestic consumption.  Hama has been a centre for the opposition movement for many years, and 20,000 people were killed there in 1982 during an uprising against the Syrian regime.  Not surprisingly, not much was said about this by our guides, although we were warned that there was unrest in the area, and we were quickly bussed out of the town once we’d seen the wheels.

al-Na'urah al-Muhammadiyah, a 14th century waterwheel in Hama.

This is a travel blog, rather than a political blog, but you can’t talk about Syria without referencing the its current troubles.  One thing you might not know about the Syrian President, the ruthless dictator Bashar al-Assad, is that he’s actually an ophthalmologist from London.

Yes, you read that right.  He is an ophthalmologist from London.  Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, was a genuinely ruthless dictator.  A former general who became president after a bloodless coup in 1971, he suppressed dissent, ordered the mass murder of the protesters in Homs and even exiled his own brother from the country.

Hafez’s eldest son, Bassel al-Assad, was being groomed to be the next ruthless dictator, so as the second son, Bashar was not political, choosing to complete a medical degree in Syria after which he moved to London to study ophthalmology as a post-graduate in London.  In 1994 Bassel was killed in a car crash, so Bashar was recalled to the country to be groomed to take over from his father, who eventually died in 2000.  The rest, they say, is history.

We would never have thought that turning left would be safe than turning right. 

The Syrians were friendly, welcoming and genuinely pleased to see us in their country.  In the more remote corners of the country, tourists were a rarity, so much so that I was even interviewed by Syrian tv.  In one remote village, the name of which I’ll probably never know, we had one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had as a traveler.  It was September in the deep desert, so it was baking hot, so we had to stop in a small village to resupply the bus with water.

My Nokia 5210.  Five days battery life (are you listening, Apple?) and a thermometer!  Quite warm.

One of the ladies on the bus saw an old guy frying falafel, so she tried to buy a few from him.  He was offended, and a situation threatened to build, we assumed it was because a young, blonde woman had approached an older Syrian man.  The guide came over to translate, and it turned out that the old guy was offended that the traveller to his village had attempted to pay.  As a devout Muslim, it was his honour to host us as visitors to his village.  Even though each of us was probably carrying a camera worth more than this gentleman could earn in a year, he insisted on giving us every one of the falafel he’d cooked that morning.

We got back on the bus embarrassed to have so badly misinterpreted the man’s reaction, humbled by his generosity and educated on the true nature of Islam.  And the falafel were delicious. 

That’s why I travel.

Matthew

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