Trifter

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Calm down and think, I admonish myself.  Can’t be that hard to get to the hotel.  But this is my first day in Syria and I realize I’ve no idea what the locals are like or how they treat blond women traveling alone. Neither do I have any local currency on me.  Thoughts of being mugged, or worse, start surging through my mind.

Suddenly a local man is by my side speaking to me in English and smiling. I explain that I’m lost and need to return to the hotel. In broken English, he offers to help me get back. He seems friendly enough and I explain I’m happy to go on foot, if he’d just show me the way.

“No, it is too far. You need a cab. I will help you.”  Although I have no Syrian lira, I do have American money and figure I can pay with that.  But a taxi?  Why can’t I just walk there?  Why does this local want to get into a taxi with me?  Now I’m getting scared.  Instinct makes me double-check with a local store owner just how far it really is. The owner sees my anxiety and reassures me. “You need a cab. It IS too far,” he nods. And you are safe with this young man. He won’t hurt you. Syrian men are good people.”

Somewhat reassured, I get into the cab with this stranger. As we drive, I wonder if that really is my heart that’s thumping so hard?  And are those really back streets we’ve been driving through all this time?  Oh heavens, am I about to get mugged?  I imagine in my mind that I can throw the American money I have onto the ground and run. But in reality I have a bad leg and cannot actually run anywhere.

The Syrian man tells me his name is Mahmoud and we exchange emails. Good, I think, you don’t usually kill someone who exchanges email addresses with you.

Finally, the hotel looms up into my view and I sigh aloud with relief.  I am safe. Oh glory, safe.  I ask the taxi drive how much.  He smiles and points to Mahmoud. I get out, ready to pay in dollars, and ask Mahmoud how much. He simply smiles, reaches for my clammy palm and shakes my hand with a kindness I am relieved to see. Then without a word, he is back in the cab as the vehicle zooms off into the heat of Damascus.

This is Syria, the country friends told me NOT to visit. They said I’d end up on the nightly news back home, in some kind of trouble.  And I admit, I WAS apprehensive.  But I needn’t have been.  This is a country where the kindness of strangers is something that’s played out regularly.  If you ask for directions, it’s quite normal that the locals will take you there.  I’ve only ever seen this happen one other time and that was in Glasgow, Scotland.  But it’s not for nothing that Lonely Planet’s Bluelist has labeled Syria as a must-see destination.

Our own guide Hassan, a kind and gentle man (and isn’t this just the kind of guide every tour group wants?), was himself a great example of the friendliness you’ll find here. Tirelessly helping the slower members of the group without complaint, getting water for our bus of thirsty tourists and helping out a sick group member by letting her rest in his hotel room, while her own was being made up, went out of his way to make our group feel welcome, as did his assistant Wesam.  This is the kind of helpfulness you’re going to find all around this country.

“So what is there to actually do in Syria then?” asks one close friend. Fact is, there’s a LOT to do here.

Just take the history, for instance. Did you know that civilization began here, St. Paul was converted to Christianity here and this country gave humanity its first alphabet and musical note? As a tourist, it’s hard not to be impressed. 

And impressing you is what Syria wants. “We want to be a connecting point between the West and the Gulf States,” says Abdullah Dardari in charge of Economic Development.

“The difference between perceptions and reality is stark,” he goes on to say.  And he’s right. The people here are hospitable and generous. Everyone, from our kind and gentle tour guide, Hassan, to the locals, was incredibly friendly. It’s not at all unsafe, as we’ve been led to believe in the West.

Silk Road Festival

You’ll be quite safe, for instance, if you’re here in October, and get to check out the Silk Road Festival.  The event commemorates Syria’s position as the meeting place for the world’s Silk Road Caravans. Artistic and cultural activities take place in and around Damascus.

Damascus

And Damascus itself has been voted the no. 6 tourist destination in the world.  Surprised? Thought so.  This vibrant city, rich in culture, actually boasts being the oldest continuously inhabited capital in the world.

National Museum

And when it comes to old, check out the National Museum with art from various periods.  Some of the sculptures date back 1300 years.  This is also where you’ll find the mud tablets that contain humanity’s first alphabet.

House of Hanania

Then go along to the Hanania Chapel in Old Damascus where St. Paul (previously Saul) was blinded on the road to Damascus for persecuting Jesus. It was Hanania who baptized and cured Saul and renamed him Paul.  But Paul’s Christianity had to remain a secret and  he could only practice his new religion by worshipping in the house’s underground tunnels.

Omayyad Mosque

From one religious icon to another, every visitor should see the shrine of John the Baptist in the Omayyad Mosque, one of the holiest mosques in the world. The head of John the Baptist is buried underground here in the green mausoleum. Admire the Roman and Aramic influences in the columns and arches here.  You may even come across the locals praying  (Muslims pray 5 times a day) and you’re allowed to stay for that.

Note that women can enter but must wear hooded cloaks to cover themselves. As our guide, Hassan, says, “Women are beautiful. They are so beautiful, they would put the men off trying to pray.”  Now that’s a nice way of putting it.

Palmyra

From the beauty of women to the beauty of the desert, Palmyra is a must-see. Here you’ll find the Hypogeum of the Three Brothers.  In this underground tomb, the bones of the dead were buried five levels deep, only to be removed years later and the “shelves” re-filled with new ones. The message here is that death is inevitable but paradise, and the afterlife, are worth it.

Waterwheels in Hama

Also worth it is a visit to Hama, where the preserved revolving waterwheels, or norias,  “groan” melodically as they revolve. These waterwheels are unique to the town– they give the city water and irrigate the public gardens at the same time.

Krac des Chevaliers

Also unique is Krac des Chevaliers (Castle of Horsemen)–the best conserved, most famous, crusader castle in the world.  From these stunning, towering gothic ramparts hot oil was poured over would-be attackers to help them rethink their intentions.  In peacetime the castle housed over 2500 people.

Aleppo

From crusader castles to citadels, Aleppo will leave you breathless with its own majestic citadel that towers up 64 meters. Explore the timeless cobbled streets and unexpected alleyways of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, erected in 1000 BC.  On August 9, 1138, an earthquake killed 230,000 people, making this one of the deadliest earthquakes on record. It’s well worth seeing.

Maloulah

Well worth seeing too is Maloulah where locals speak the Aramic language of Christ.  The relics of St. Taqla, a pupil of St. Paul, are here in the Mar Taqla monastery. Legend has it she was hunted down by her father’s soldiers for being a Christian. She reached a mountain, prayed, and the mountain split to let her through. The town is named after this gap and you can enjoy a short walk through it. 

Souvenirs

You’ll also enjoy obtaining some “relics” or souvenirs, of your own, so go ahead and indulge in some of the local offerings in the markets (or souks).  Scarves, olive oil soap, jewelry, blankets and pottery are all available.  Have fun bartering with the locals over the price.  Just know the maximum price you’ll pay and be prepared to walk away if needed.

Leaving

Sometimes though, that walking away is hard. Especially if it means leaving the country altogether.  And I should know just how true that statement can be.  For, just as quickly as my own trip began, I now find it coming to an end, and I have to go home.  I hear the forlorn tones of the muezzin’s call to prayer, and look out my hotel room one last time at the sprawling metropolis that is Damascus –a horn-beeping, bustling and vibrant metropolis that heaves with life.

And I feel sad because I feel a strange affinity with this country and its people and I simply don’t want to leave.  I’ve discovered that Syria is a land of enchantment, a land proud of its rich culture and a land whose people are some of the friendliest I’ve ever met.  From our accommodating tour guide, Hassan, with an obvious dedication to his tour group, to the obliging stranger in Damascus who helped me back to my hotel, the people of Syria are nothing short of good-natured and kind.

And it’s these self-same, good-natured people who make Syria a country where a person need never feel alone, or scared, again.

Getting There

Emirates Airlines flies to Dubai and then on to Damascus. Flights are comfortable and convenient and Emirates is one of the greenest airlines around. Service is excellent, as you’d expect from a world-class airline. From the US, Emirates flies from most major cities to Dubai.

For more information on Syria, contact the Ministry of Tourism at: www.syriatourism.org