We left for Damascus not really knowing what to expect.
First timers, all of us, we were in two minds about how Syria would look. Those of us weaned on Aladdin and the Arabian Nights entertained visions of scantily-clad Scheherazades belly-dancing to some exotic music, while the more grounded among us harbored misgivings that the country sits right next door to Iraq.
Such is the mystique of this country that those who have yet to visit are often left wondering what sort of situation they are getting into. The situation, in this case, being an invitation to the Silk Road Festival hosted by the Syria Tourism Ministry. The tourism ministry invited local media to join the event as part of a memorandum of agreement with the Tourism Department “to strengthen the friendly ties and mutual understanding” between the Philippines and Syria. (In exchange the department will invite Syrian journalists to tour the different Philippine destinations.)
But they say ignorance is bliss, so we firmly held our preconceived notions in check.
Multicolored tapestry
What DOES one expect from a country as foreign and different as Syria? Lots of sand? Camels? Bedouin settlers? Yes, we found all of those and more, including some things we did not expect.
For one thing, one does not expect vegetation from a country that for all intents and purposes had been scooped out of an arid desert. But, there it is: foliage! A copse of trees here, a ridge of lush, green mountains over there—Syria, as it turns out, is a veritable paradise in the middle of the desert, boasting of magnificent scenery that changes from one location to another, not to mention a coastline that embraces the azure waters of the Mediterranean.
And then there are the people: rosy-cheeked urchins who peer curiously from rusted window grills; burkha-clad women with kohl-rimmed eyes that shy away from direct eye contact; wrinkled grandfathers who strike petrified poses on wooden park benches; burly men with beards and inscrutable expressions who break into friendly smiles as you call out hello. They are as varied and interesting as the mosaic patterns that adorn Syria’s museums and old houses.
Clearly, Syria is not a country one can paint in monotonous hues of beige and brown. More likely, it is a multicolored amalgam of different topographical features, cultures and religious persuasions that surprisingly blend into one harmonious tapestry. This is how the world should be.
Come to think of it, this is probably how civilization began, in this ancient land, where both Islam and Christianity first took root, where agriculture and the alphabet first developed, and where merchants from the east and west met and mingled in the name of commerce and cultural exchange thousands of years ago.
“Even though we are predominantly Moslem, we are not close-minded about other religions. Muslims, Christians, it’s okay, we can live together in peace,” says Maya Hallak, our pretty young guide from the Syria Ministry of Tourism. Hallak, a 23-year-old communications student at Damascus University, is spunky, outgoing and fashion forward—a far cry from the mysterious veiled women we thought we would meet (and closer to our idea of Scheherezade, actually).
“I can belly dance too,” she quips in answer to our reference to the Arabian Nights character.
This is the modern world
Hallak is the face of a modern Syria slowly emerging from its shell.
Painted largely as a terrorist-harboring country by the Western press (a byproduct of its affiliations with the former Soviet Union and Iran), Syria has been left behind by its Arab neighbors in terms of technological and economic progress. But thanks to sweeping reforms instituted by Syria’s current president, Bashar al-Assad, this country with a millennia-old heritage in arts and culture is taking its first baby steps towards assimilating itself into a techno-savvy global community.
“The times of ‘If you are not my friend, you are my enemy’ are over. We would like the world to know that Syria wants good relations with all countries (including the US). Syria has always played a significant role in world relations. As part of the Silk Road, it was a crossroads for merchants from the Orient, from Africa, Constantinople. As such it enjoyed good relations with the West and the East, the North and the South. We would like to play a significant role as well today,” says Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah al-Dardari.
The road much traveled
To this end, every October for the past eight years, the Syria Ministry of Tourism invites hundreds of journalists to join a week-long road trip through some of the sites in the country that have been part of the legendary silk trade routes: Damascus, Palmyra, Homs and Hama, Aleppo, etc.
The Silk Road, the collective term for the network of trade routes that stretched from China in the east to the Roman empire and the European continent in the west, was an important conduit for cultural, commercial and technological exchange among merchants, soldiers, pilgrims and other travelers who plied the routes for hundreds of years.
The routes enabled the transfer of silk, perfume, spices and other valuable merchandise to different parts of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean countries.
(As one of the thriving ports in the region at the time, the Philippines was part of the Maritime Silk Road that facilitated trade among China, India, Iran and the Southeast Asian nations.)
The Silk Road Festival, created by the ministry to highlight Syria’s historical role as a purveyor of cultural exchange between east and west, aims to establish Syria as a “bridge of peace,” disproving the image painted largely by the western press, as a supporter of terrorists. At the same time, it hopes to parlay this nascent goodwill into increase in tourist traffic and investment to the cash-strapped country.
Already, the campaign has produced tangible results, with visitor arrivals in Syria increasing by 10 percent from last year. In addition, Syria has garnered recognition in the industry as one of the 10 most important emerging tourist destinations in the world.
“Tourism has helped alleviate the economic crisis in Syria. Our goal (in this campaign) is to show that developing Syria is of advantage to the world,” explains Syrian Tourism Minister Dr. Saadallah Agha Alqalah.
A wrinkle in time
This year, the Silk Road festivities open in Damascus. The capital of Syria is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with a history that dates back as early as 10,000 B.C.
Traveling through Damascus is much like undergoing a time warp, where visitors nimbly make the quantum leap from the present to the ancient in about five minutes or so—that’s how long it takes to cross over from the busy main street to any of the seven gates that serve as entrances to the old city of Damascus.
Damascus has been occupied by many conquering groups, including the Aramaeans, the Romans, the Turks, the Ottomans and the Saracens, whose influence on the city’s architecture can be seen everywhere. It is seen in the old Roman ramparts that surround the old enclave, in the Byzantine mosaic patterns on the walls of the Azem Palace, an old Damascene house turned into a museum, and in the graceful Ottoman-style columns of the Taqiyya al-Sulaimaniyya, a former khan (shelter) for pilgrims and visiting caravanserai that has been converted into a showcase for local handicraft.
Our own whirlwind tour of the area began with a headlong dash through the Al-Hamidiyah souk, a 422-meter-long market that houses hundreds of colorful stalls hawking everything from gold bracelets to exotic spices. Lingering over the sights and sounds of the bazaar was something we would have enjoyed given the chance. Al-Hamidiyah is one of three large souks in the area. Another one, the Medhat Pasha souk, ends in the Street Called Straight, where St. Paul was converted to the Christian faith by Ananias.
Arguably the most notable landmark in the city is the Umayyad Mosque, located in the heart of the Old City. One of the largest and oldest mosques in the world, this holy site has undergone several personality changes from its early days as a pagan temple. It has, by turns, been a temple to Jupiter, a Christian Church, and finally, a Moslem mosque. Inside the mosque is a shrine that contains the head of John the Baptist, honored as a prophet by Moslems and Christians alike.
Outside the mosque, along streets so narrow you’d think only a burro could pass, lie a collection of old Damascene houses that have been turned into restaurants by the tourism ministry. Who knew those small dark doorways led to beautiful spacious courtyards big enough to hold more than a hundred guests?
According to Maya, these former abodes of affluent Damascenes supposedly housed large clans, with each member or branch occupying a floor or a wing of the house. The fancier the design (and they were really elaborate), the more affluent the owner, says our guide.
Cafe culture
Here and there, we spot groups of men gathered around coffee shops, drinking the strong, really bitter Syrian coffee, or indulging in a hubble bubble puff. Hubble bubble is another name for the hookah or shisha pipes that Syrians favor over conventional cigarettes.
Our time trip ended, after about an hour of navigating the maze-like streets of the walled city, at the Bab Sharqi (eastern gate), where we crossed the street back to the hustle and bustle of present-day Damascus.
Next week: Close encounters with a camel (Part 2 of the Silk Road journey)
