Day 29 (Thursday 22 Feb): In Damascus I could have taken a train at 8am on the Hedjaz Railway, famously attacked by Lawrence of Arabia, but instead I decided to see some of Damascus. The streets were busy with people, mostly dressed in suits, who often regarded me with curiosity as I passed by, and frequently greeted me with 'Salam'. On advice from a helpful english-speaking girl at the bus station, which I had found by fortunate chance, I sought out the Souk Al Hamidir street market, the main part of which is a long pedestrian road covered by a high arched glass roof; and the adjacent Umauuad Mosque, which is essentially a large square building surrounding a courtyard, one side of which was a rectangular room adorned inside with gilded designs and with a patchwork
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