Blogs from Damascus, South, Syria, Middle East - page 10

We have been spending some time in Damascus taking a closer look at some of Syria’s history. On the outskirts of the city, just off the road to the bus station, stands a memorial to a very sensitive event known here as the 6 October War, but more commonly known globally as the Yom Kippur War. In 1968 Syria lost control of the Golan Heights during the six day war with Israel. On 6 October 1973 Syria’s armed forces were deemed strong enough by the president to try to recapture their territory. A bloody battle ensued and many soldiers on both sides gave their lives. It is not our place in this blog to comment on the rights or wrongs of actions in this region, past or present, so we are just going to tell you ... read more

Well, I managed to get across the border into Syria. It actually went exactly as I expected so it ended up not being that bad of a day. We woke up at 6:30 am and headed to the bus station. The bus, which cost only about $1 US more than the rest was incredible. We're talking airplane first class status; big, leather seats, tons of legroom. As the driver came took the tickets while we boarded, he ranted in half English something along the lines of, "no visa... USA... I am sure... no chance." I told him I already bought the ticket so I'm testing my luck at the border at this point. I tried to stay awake to catch the scenery on the way up to the border but it was tough. After about 90 ... read more

Je crois que nous allons définitivement tomber amoureux du monde Arabe ! La Syrie c'est comme Marseille en gratis ! Tout nous est offert, les rencontres amicales se comptent par centaines et les rencontres édifiantes (les plus rares) par dizaines ! Premier jour à Alep : trois étudiants, Bassel Ymard et Elias nous accueillent et nous prennent intégralement en charge, bières comprises ! Puis viens le sommet du voyage... 6 jours au monastère Deir Mar-Musa un "mini-Taizée-sauce-orientale", savoureuse spécialité du chef italien, le père Paulo! On avait spécialement prévu de venir pour la semaine de dialogue Islamo/Chrétien, 5 jours pour vivre avec toutes sortes de musulmans, de précieuses rencontres et de profonds échanges à la clef! Après une plutôt drôle de nuit passée dans la tente bédouine de Rasheed au sommet de la montagne avec ses ... read more

So, summer school 1 is over and today we begin the second of the three intensive English courses. We had some great students. Russ was invited to go out for the afternoon and smoke some hubbly-bubbly with some of the guys he taught. They took him to a local café, which seemed to be men only, where he was treated to a couple of hours of strong Arabic tea, fresh fruit salad and a long puff on the water pipe. There are many synonyms for the argileh (as the Arabs call it). In London they are called hookahs (nothing to do with rugby or prostitution!) or water pipes, in Egypt it’s sheesha, in Turkey it’s nargileh whilst around the world it’s affectionately known as hubble-bubble or hubbly-bubbly. Why? Well, it’s not like smoking a cigarette, cigar ... read more

Damascus is proving to be a fascinating place to live. For us, it’s our first experience of living in a Muslim country. Mosques are everywhere and at prayer times the sound of the muezzin calls are haunting as they echo around the city. Working every afternoon and evening isn’t leaving much time for exploring the city. That’s why we try to go somewhere new at every opportunity. This week we went to the Great Umayyad Mosque, a huge but beautiful place on a site which has been a place of worship for various religious groups since the 9th Century. To get there we take a taxi to the entrance to the Al-Hamadiye Souk. Walking through there is quite an experience. Everything seems to be on sale if you wander down the labyrinth-like side streets. We have ... read more