Syria Part 6 - Aleppo
I Believe in Syria – Part 6
Aleppo
December 2008
She Stays Inside
She is in her twenties
She is educated
She is not married
She cooks, she cleans
She laughs and talks
She is loved and protected
I say come LuLua, walk outside with me
La she shakes her head. She stays inside.
The next destination was Aleppo with unknowns. Where to stay? What to see? Where to go? Luckily, while visiting with the American ladies in Hammah the night before, one of them had a Lonely Planet and I wrote down names of places to stay. The Tourist Hotel sounded friendly and clean and that is where I asked the taxi to take me from the bus station. It was just my style. The price was right at 500L ($11) per night, it was clean, had decent size rooms, friendly staff, and a good location if you disregard the tire and auto mechanic shops down below. I knew a little about Aleppo’s famous old covered souqs and soap but I didn’t know about their towels, textiles, and the citadel. After studying a local map of the area, I decide I could use another day here but I had to make due with the day and a half I had.
With dusk turning to night I did not venture too far. There are many alleys branching off like a prime factorization tree causing me to get turned around and lost. The key is not to panic and to keep looking for well lit alleys leading to major thoroughfares. The little of Aleppo I did see that first night I could tell Aleppo was old as dirt. This important trading hub dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and has been a flourishing city, with a unique strategic position. This position gave the city a distinctive role from the days of the Akkadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. “It lies on a plateau 427 m (1400 ft) high, midway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River. The second largest city of Syria, Halab is an agricultural trading center and has factories producing carpets; silk, cotton, and wool textiles; silverware and gold ware; leather goods; and embroidery.” http://www.galenfrysinger.com/aleppo.htm (there are nice photos at this link too)
Back at the hotel I met two fascinating people. The first was my neighbor, Naya. She is Korean and a retired teacher. She lives on the road for months at a time. I am inspired by her style of travel. Naya decides on a region to explore and then her first stop is to learn the language for several weeks. She studied English in the Philippines, Arabic in Yemen, and will be learning Spanish in Columbia. Naya is loaded with electronics. Half her weight must be dedicated to plugs, adapters, converters, headphones, laptop, camera, mobile phone, and a host of wires. Because of her long journeys, her meals are in her room consisting of bread, cheese, fruit, and tea. While this seems like the smart thing to do, I would find it limiting because I like to be out with the people and to have a change of scenery. In places like Europe I would be forced to eat picnic style because of the expense.
The evening when I was chatting with her, she was in the midst of a pickle with her luggage, she arrived in Aleppo but her bag did not. Now she had to decide whether to wait it out in Aleppo or head back to Damascus and leave the country. She did not have a very good introduction to Syria which is a pity. I wonder where Naya is now.
After my visit with her, I went out for a meal. The restaurant had a TV and local men gathered around watching a soccer match. I am not sure who was playing who but there was lots of cheering going on and some men were brought to tears. I can only assume cheers of joy. The meal of soup, rice and vegetables was 340 L ($8).
Back at the hotel, Ahmed, a Kurdish archeological student, entertained me with his sense of humor, honesty, and pride. He is self taught on the bazuq, an instrument long associated with gypsy music of Lebanon and Syria and is a long-necked fretted string instrument with 2 metal strings which are played with a plectrum, offering a metallic yet Iyrical resonance, and sings Kurdish love songs. He is the night watchman and full of stories and information. He is from a small border town and accompanying him to his village would be very special. It would be a glimpse into a life seen by few. Of course marriage was discussed but now I can use the card I am too old and children are out of the question, case closed. He was still interested in showing me his village and I would be honored to do so. Time was against me on this trip but maybe another time.
Bright and early the next day, well, not bright because it was overcast and stayed that way all day, I set out to find the citadel and souqs. Just as I was approaching the citadel an entourage of police and black cars were pulling up to the main gate. Camera crews were there following the well dressed crowd up the stairs for their tour. I guess that means no tour for me. I didn’t mind because I wanted to walk around and explore more. By mid afternoon I walked through several souqs “just looking”, taking photos, and getting turned around. I did buy 2 bath towels for 600 L ($13), 4 dish towels for 200L ($4) and a nice colorful striped bag for 400 L ($9).
By this time I was getting tired and weary from the dirt and pollution from walking around. I wanted to see more of the souqs but was not in the mood. I had lunch with Ahmed and that cheered me up. I stayed close by and explored an area known for its boutique hotels and shops. Too bad the power was out so everything was dark inside. I can tell this happens often because there are generators on the sidewalks roaring away outside the finer shops. Now add noise pollution to the mix of dust and filth. I could not hear myself think. I was feeling overwhelmed with all this and sat inside the Sheraton Hotel amongst the Christmas decorations realizing it was only days away.
Naya checked out of the hotel so I guess she wanted out of Syria or at least Aleppo. A Frenchman touring on his bike checked into the hotel and it was refreshing to talk with him and Ahmed for a few hours. I packed and said farewell to Ahmed in the morning. I would like to come back to Aleppo during the spring or summer to see it in another light or at least to have more daylight. Naya, Ahmed, and the covered souqs made this a special place in my book.
December 21 was a day dedicated to transportation. First it was a 25L taxi ride to the minibus park then a 10L mini bus ride to the main bus station and a 225L bus ride to Damascus lasting 5 hours ending with 160L for 2 oranges, 2 bananas, 2 sandwiches and 1 tea for the journey. Within a matter of thirty minutes I paid the equivalent of $9.33 for all this. Leaving the bus park in Aleppo was delayed a little I suspected as people started to approach the driver asking why the delay. The young woman next to me translated best she could. It appears there is an American on board and they have to do more paper work hence the delay. Sorry about that mister. As I was getting off the bus in Damascus a bus park worker tapped me on the shoulder and said the police wanted me to contact them to say I arrived in Damascus just fine. I asked where to find a policeman; he shrugged. I never did find a policeman but I figured when I check-in back at the art gallery for a room, they would have record my arrivial. I checked in for two nights and the power was out again. Candles were in the room giving it an inviting glow.
It was time for gift buying and I spotted some lovely items at the Anat center. Anat was founded in 1988 and has three aims. 1) to provide job opportunitites to women and to improve their skills. 2) to preserve the old textile handicraft skills. 3) to present these artistic works to the world and to promote mutual understanding of different cultures. Everything in there was exquisite. I could have purchased one of everything but still made a pretty good dent with buying small things for packing ease. This organization was in the midst of a fund drive to buy a bus to get girls in rural villages to school and part of the proceeds from the sales went to this drive. There is a link below for Anat for your browsing pleasure and I think you will agree their work is unique and special.
I ended the evening at a concert. A Christmas concert was being held at a lovely old church behind the craft store. The church was packed but I managed to find a seat on the side of the church. These seats are in a row and made of wood with ornate carvings. There was a children’s choir and an adult one. The music was heavenly and being in this setting was magical. I would gaze up to the painted domes and see angles in heaven. The red light coming from candles flickering in glass lamps gave it that special glow only found in churches. I felt honored to partake in this event. Leaving the church the weather was cold and drizzly but perfect for this time of year. Christmas was only 4 days away.
My last full day in Old Damascus had three missions. One was to find highly recommended juice bars listed in local magazines, another was to buy a few more gifts, and the last was to say good-bye to Mardini, the man with a name like martini but with a d.
I left Damascus the way I came, overland with a private car. I ended up sharing a taxi with a Syrian engineer living in Germany. He asked if it was OK to make a stop to pick up his brother-in-law at his sister’s house. I was in no rush and said fine by me. We stopped at a nice looking place and I was invited in. The son was home and he was young and handsome and a professional. I eyed some photos on the wall recognizing the Syrian president with other military men. I could only assume the man of the house was important. Turns out the man we picked up was indeed well known in military circles and before Syria troops left Lebanon, this man went over to Lebanon with an escort.
The border crossing was quick and easy. The weather in Beirut was raw and drizzly. I started missing the warmth and sun of Jeddah. I would be spending Christmas in the mountains of Lebanon.
This site does an excellent job describing Arab instruments.
http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/700/780/fairuz/legend/instruments.html
Arabic Music
http://almashriq.hiof.no/base/music.html#music
Anat Center
http://anat-sy.org/
Aleppo
December 2008
She Stays Inside
She is in her twenties
She is educated
She is not married
She cooks, she cleans
She laughs and talks
She is loved and protected
I say come LuLua, walk outside with me
La she shakes her head. She stays inside.
The next destination was Aleppo with unknowns. Where to stay? What to see? Where to go? Luckily, while visiting with the American ladies in Hammah the night before, one of them had a Lonely Planet and I wrote down names of places to stay. The Tourist Hotel sounded friendly and clean and that is where I asked the taxi to take me from the bus station. It was just my style. The price was right at 500L ($11) per night, it was clean, had decent size rooms, friendly staff, and a good location if you disregard the tire and auto mechanic shops down below. I knew a little about Aleppo’s famous old covered souqs and soap but I didn’t know about their towels, textiles, and the citadel. After studying a local map of the area, I decide I could use another day here but I had to make due with the day and a half I had.
With dusk turning to night I did not venture too far. There are many alleys branching off like a prime factorization tree causing me to get turned around and lost. The key is not to panic and to keep looking for well lit alleys leading to major thoroughfares. The little of Aleppo I did see that first night I could tell Aleppo was old as dirt. This important trading hub dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and has been a flourishing city, with a unique strategic position. This position gave the city a distinctive role from the days of the Akkadian and Amorite kingdoms until modern times. “It lies on a plateau 427 m (1400 ft) high, midway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River. The second largest city of Syria, Halab is an agricultural trading center and has factories producing carpets; silk, cotton, and wool textiles; silverware and gold ware; leather goods; and embroidery.” http://www.galenfrysinger.com/aleppo.htm (there are nice photos at this link too)
Back at the hotel I met two fascinating people. The first was my neighbor, Naya. She is Korean and a retired teacher. She lives on the road for months at a time. I am inspired by her style of travel. Naya decides on a region to explore and then her first stop is to learn the language for several weeks. She studied English in the Philippines, Arabic in Yemen, and will be learning Spanish in Columbia. Naya is loaded with electronics. Half her weight must be dedicated to plugs, adapters, converters, headphones, laptop, camera, mobile phone, and a host of wires. Because of her long journeys, her meals are in her room consisting of bread, cheese, fruit, and tea. While this seems like the smart thing to do, I would find it limiting because I like to be out with the people and to have a change of scenery. In places like Europe I would be forced to eat picnic style because of the expense.
The evening when I was chatting with her, she was in the midst of a pickle with her luggage, she arrived in Aleppo but her bag did not. Now she had to decide whether to wait it out in Aleppo or head back to Damascus and leave the country. She did not have a very good introduction to Syria which is a pity. I wonder where Naya is now.
After my visit with her, I went out for a meal. The restaurant had a TV and local men gathered around watching a soccer match. I am not sure who was playing who but there was lots of cheering going on and some men were brought to tears. I can only assume cheers of joy. The meal of soup, rice and vegetables was 340 L ($8).
Back at the hotel, Ahmed, a Kurdish archeological student, entertained me with his sense of humor, honesty, and pride. He is self taught on the bazuq, an instrument long associated with gypsy music of Lebanon and Syria and is a long-necked fretted string instrument with 2 metal strings which are played with a plectrum, offering a metallic yet Iyrical resonance, and sings Kurdish love songs. He is the night watchman and full of stories and information. He is from a small border town and accompanying him to his village would be very special. It would be a glimpse into a life seen by few. Of course marriage was discussed but now I can use the card I am too old and children are out of the question, case closed. He was still interested in showing me his village and I would be honored to do so. Time was against me on this trip but maybe another time.
Bright and early the next day, well, not bright because it was overcast and stayed that way all day, I set out to find the citadel and souqs. Just as I was approaching the citadel an entourage of police and black cars were pulling up to the main gate. Camera crews were there following the well dressed crowd up the stairs for their tour. I guess that means no tour for me. I didn’t mind because I wanted to walk around and explore more. By mid afternoon I walked through several souqs “just looking”, taking photos, and getting turned around. I did buy 2 bath towels for 600 L ($13), 4 dish towels for 200L ($4) and a nice colorful striped bag for 400 L ($9).
By this time I was getting tired and weary from the dirt and pollution from walking around. I wanted to see more of the souqs but was not in the mood. I had lunch with Ahmed and that cheered me up. I stayed close by and explored an area known for its boutique hotels and shops. Too bad the power was out so everything was dark inside. I can tell this happens often because there are generators on the sidewalks roaring away outside the finer shops. Now add noise pollution to the mix of dust and filth. I could not hear myself think. I was feeling overwhelmed with all this and sat inside the Sheraton Hotel amongst the Christmas decorations realizing it was only days away.
Naya checked out of the hotel so I guess she wanted out of Syria or at least Aleppo. A Frenchman touring on his bike checked into the hotel and it was refreshing to talk with him and Ahmed for a few hours. I packed and said farewell to Ahmed in the morning. I would like to come back to Aleppo during the spring or summer to see it in another light or at least to have more daylight. Naya, Ahmed, and the covered souqs made this a special place in my book.
December 21 was a day dedicated to transportation. First it was a 25L taxi ride to the minibus park then a 10L mini bus ride to the main bus station and a 225L bus ride to Damascus lasting 5 hours ending with 160L for 2 oranges, 2 bananas, 2 sandwiches and 1 tea for the journey. Within a matter of thirty minutes I paid the equivalent of $9.33 for all this. Leaving the bus park in Aleppo was delayed a little I suspected as people started to approach the driver asking why the delay. The young woman next to me translated best she could. It appears there is an American on board and they have to do more paper work hence the delay. Sorry about that mister. As I was getting off the bus in Damascus a bus park worker tapped me on the shoulder and said the police wanted me to contact them to say I arrived in Damascus just fine. I asked where to find a policeman; he shrugged. I never did find a policeman but I figured when I check-in back at the art gallery for a room, they would have record my arrivial. I checked in for two nights and the power was out again. Candles were in the room giving it an inviting glow.
It was time for gift buying and I spotted some lovely items at the Anat center. Anat was founded in 1988 and has three aims. 1) to provide job opportunitites to women and to improve their skills. 2) to preserve the old textile handicraft skills. 3) to present these artistic works to the world and to promote mutual understanding of different cultures. Everything in there was exquisite. I could have purchased one of everything but still made a pretty good dent with buying small things for packing ease. This organization was in the midst of a fund drive to buy a bus to get girls in rural villages to school and part of the proceeds from the sales went to this drive. There is a link below for Anat for your browsing pleasure and I think you will agree their work is unique and special.
I ended the evening at a concert. A Christmas concert was being held at a lovely old church behind the craft store. The church was packed but I managed to find a seat on the side of the church. These seats are in a row and made of wood with ornate carvings. There was a children’s choir and an adult one. The music was heavenly and being in this setting was magical. I would gaze up to the painted domes and see angles in heaven. The red light coming from candles flickering in glass lamps gave it that special glow only found in churches. I felt honored to partake in this event. Leaving the church the weather was cold and drizzly but perfect for this time of year. Christmas was only 4 days away.
My last full day in Old Damascus had three missions. One was to find highly recommended juice bars listed in local magazines, another was to buy a few more gifts, and the last was to say good-bye to Mardini, the man with a name like martini but with a d.
I left Damascus the way I came, overland with a private car. I ended up sharing a taxi with a Syrian engineer living in Germany. He asked if it was OK to make a stop to pick up his brother-in-law at his sister’s house. I was in no rush and said fine by me. We stopped at a nice looking place and I was invited in. The son was home and he was young and handsome and a professional. I eyed some photos on the wall recognizing the Syrian president with other military men. I could only assume the man of the house was important. Turns out the man we picked up was indeed well known in military circles and before Syria troops left Lebanon, this man went over to Lebanon with an escort.
The border crossing was quick and easy. The weather in Beirut was raw and drizzly. I started missing the warmth and sun of Jeddah. I would be spending Christmas in the mountains of Lebanon.
This site does an excellent job describing Arab instruments.
http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/700/780/fairuz/legend/instruments.html
Arabic Music
http://almashriq.hiof.no/base/music.html#music
Anat Center
http://anat-sy.org/
posted by Becky of Arabia at 11:22 PM
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