a week in Syria

Although I did pass briefly through Syria in 1985 on the way between Turkey and Jordan, I stopped to visit only Damascus and Palmyra – so when I later heard about some of the other great places in the country – Krak des Chevaliers in particular – I was determined to go back.  Then earlier this year I saw a trip organised (the only way to get a visa currently is on a group tour, and that way you also have a knowledgeable local guide managing the security side) for a week in August when I had nothing else planned.  As there are no flights in and out of Syria currently, the tour started and ended in Beirut, so all the government warnings to leave Beirut immediately due to the threat of imminent Hezbollah-Israel conflict were rather concerning.  But thankfully my flight was not cancelled and there was no escalation of the tension before (or during) my trip.  Although I did hear sonic booms from Israeli aircraft over Beirut (a daily reminder to Hezbollah of their capabilities), and three group participants dropped out of our tour, which meant more space in the minibus and my not having to share a room!

The seven of us still up for the tour met our two guides in a Beirut hotel lobby for an 8am departure along the road to Damascus, and once through the bureaucratic but uneventful border crossing, we certainly knew we were in Syria, with posters of Bashar al-Assad on view every few minutes; apparently he once said that those who were not with him were against him, after which everyone felt obliged to demonstrate that they were with him!  On this first drive we didn’t see too much of the physical destruction from the recent conflicts, but later we were to pass, and in some cases explore, many damaged or destroyed buildings.

But why not talk about the nice stuff first?  Like the opportunity to do a short walk on a camel (how I love camels…) before taking a closer look at the amazing old water wheels (originally built, I believe, in the 3rd century) in Hama?  Or the incredible old city of Aleppo, apparently the oldest continually inhabited urban centre in the world (some 14,000 years old), and ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans before the ‘modern’ era?  We visited the 13th century citadel there and the souk, ate some lovely felafel, visited a beautiful Maronite church, and listened to some great live local music in a restaurant over dinner.  Oh yes, and some of us smoked shisha, of course!

Then there’s Busra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia and an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca, whose ruins include a magnificent 2nd-century Roman theatre.  & Maaloula, the only place remaining that still speaks Aramaic (the language of Jesus Christ - we hear the Lord's Prayer recited in Aramaic)), and nearby Marmarita where we saw the carnival procession that marks the assumption of the Virgin Mary.

&, last but not least, Krak des Chevaliers, below – built by the Crusaders from 1142 to 1271, with further construction by the Mamluks in the late 13th century – which did not disappoint!