Travelling across two borders in a day and using four different currencies (Syrian pound, Israeli shekel, Jordanian dinar and the US dollar) makes for tired (and at times confused) travellers. By chance, we met up with a couple we’d met previously in Akko and they were heading to the Israeli border that morning also, so we spent the day with them and made the most of dividing taxi costs by four instead of two. The Israeli border crossing was no more pleasant and the border guards no less surly than when we went in.
We skipped through Jordan but on our way to the Syrian border crossing we visited Jerash which I was really pleased about as it would have been a shame to have left Jordan without seeing what is said to be one of the best sites to visit. While it is also said that Jerash is one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy, it isn’t a patch on Palmyra in my view but perhaps there are larger structures still to be found (I read somewhere that only 10% of Jerash has been excavated). What makes Palmyra stand out is the desert setting along with the fact the ruins appear much larger and grander, where Jerash is right bang smack on the edge of a city. Regardless, I still get a thrill from walking around ruins that are nearly 2000 years old and it is still impressive.
Oval Plaza and Colonnaded Street (stretches 800m) – both dated around 1st-2nd century
Colonnade
The very grand public water fountain built in 191 AD
Amphitheatre built in 165 AD (doubled in size in 235 AD to hold 1600 people)
View from the northern end of the Jerash site
This was just bizarre and something we didn’t expect to see but he was actually quite good and when a little girl got scared of the drummer playing next to him, he switched from some Scottish tune to Yankee Doodle.
Euan didn’t go into the site as he’d been before so stayed minding all our bags and drinking tea with various stall holders at the entrance to the site. We came back to find about 5 of them engrossed in conversation. He got talking with one chap who was a police helicopter pilot (trained in Cheltenham!) and asked if he could give us a lift to Damascus but got told the helicopter would get shot down as soon as they crossed the Syrian border. Random fact - Jordan has seven police helicopters. Why we don’t know and the pilot didn’t seem to know why they have that many either but he did say that most of the time they’re just used for traffic control. Bizarre.
From Jerash it was off to the next border crossing from Jordan into Syria, only a 35min and a totally different experience (but if we’d had Israeli stamps in our passports it would be a whole different story and we would have been refused entry outright). There had to be no, and I mean NO, evidence that we’d been in Israel or we wouldn’t be allowed in. We’d thus far managed OK – we’d got the guys on the Jordanian border to stamp exit stamps on a small bit of paper and the very sullen Israeli border guards (all very hard-core looking young women) actually obliged when we asked for no Israeli stamps in our passports both going in and out of the country. All Israeli-related items (pamphlets, water bottles, old tickets etc) got thrown out, anything with Israeli packaging either got unpacked or the labels ripped off, memory cards with photos were swapped with fresh cards and hidden (I hid my spare memory cards in the middle of a roll of loo paper which I thought was quite smart, Euan wasn’t so convinced). Its crazy but unfortunately necessary. The Jordan/Syrian border crossing was incredibly quiet, presumably because its not the main crossing (it was a different border point to the one we exited Syria through 10 days previously). The guards were clearly bored and instead of searching our bags, waved us over for a cup of tea. So, with nowhere to stay, an hour plus drive from Damascus and no way of getting there, we were sitting drinking tea making small-talk with border guards at 1930hrs. It was the best thing we could have done. Our packs stayed in the car unopened and we headed on through with no problems, negotiated a taxi fare (minibuses had packed it in for the night) and we were off. Job done, next job was finding somewhere to sleep.
We spent a decent amount of time in Damascus but also visited Bosra, a small town 80km south of the City that was originally built of black basalt. The ruins of the old town really were ruins and it was difficult to decipher what was what.
Bosra old city ruins
The amphitheatre was incredibly well preserved thanks to the Arabs who turned it into a citadel and build a wall around it, thus protecting it from the elements and attacks. It was huge (seated 15,00 apparently) and worth a visit if passing.
Amphitheatre (2nd century AD)
Me standing at the bottom of the amphitheatre taken from ½ way up
From the top of the amphitheatre
Men returning from prayer through the ruins
Bosra itself was “without culture” (to quote a Syrian man we met in Damascus). We weren’t impressed with the people or the town and had another unpleasant incident with stones and also glass being thrown. It’s the young kids who do this and who knows what they’re being taught. We were a bit torn as to how to react or what to do. Reprimand would guarantee us trouble (can you imagine two Westerners reprimanding an Arab child?) and would undoubtedly have had half the town at us in a split second.
Despite the incident above, the days we spent in Damascus were wonderful. It’s a truly amazing city. We both had a hammam (Turkish Bath) and that was very very enjoyable. The Hammams for men and woman are different establishments (men pay less but get less pampered!) and the one I went to was very authentic and used by many Syrian women who were there at the same time as I. The bath house itself was made of very old stone dating from 13th century and the interior was both marble and stone. The combination of steam, hot water, massages, oils, scrubbing, bubbly baths, sauna and thorough washing with hand-made Syrian olive oil soap was just bliss and felt very decadent. Needless to say, I was there for hours. Euans experience was slightly different. Seemed a bit more basic but included a steam, soak, scrubbing and washing then finished off by being wrapped in many thick white cloths and settling down for a nagileh (water pipe) and tea.
We visited the Umayyad Mosque which was huge and surprisingly peaceful despite the 100s of people and the kids running round. The mosaics were most impressive and unweathered given the mosque was built in 705 AD (it was converted from a Byzantine Cathedral).
Mosaic near the main entrance
Interior of Mosque
Huge mosaic in mosque
More detail of above
What I had to wear (I quite liked it - especially the headscarf that kept my damn hair out of my eyes!)
Not sure what this was and we couldn't find out but it looked pretty cool (the patterns on the sides are more mosaics)
Mosque entrance (you can see the tree on the top right in more detail below)
Tree mosaic in more detail
....and even more detail!
Inside the Mosque
We also spent a lot of time wandering the souqs and the Christian part of the Old City as there is just so much to look at and you never know what was going to be around the next corner.
Souq Hamidyya
We also got very lost which is the best thing to do I think. In one remote part of the Old City we heard this roaring noise that sounded like powerful fans but when we poked our heads through the door, we found it was a number of copper drums used like concrete mixers but full of sugared almonds that were being smoothed! The roar was deafening and it hurt to take my hands off my ears to take this picture.
This guy had a load of garlic and watermelons and his cart took up the whole road in places. In a very narrow part of the road, I was walking behind a kid who he thwacked really hard across the back with the end of his reins as he went past. I was working out what to do if I got the same treatment but thankfully I didn’t.
The offal on offer in loads of shops is eye-opening (and I'm used to that kind of stuff!). This is a typical butchers shop in Damascus. I’m not sure where they actually kill the sheep but suspect its in the shop or just outside but early in the morning. We came across more blow torches (like that being used to brown those trotters in Aleppo) but this time being used to brown whole sheep intestines. Niiiice.
Butchers shop in Damascus
We also visited the Azem Palace which was OK but not worth going out of your way for if you’ve limited time.
We're quite sorry to leave Damascus. We loved the culture, the friendly people and delightful kids (oh, and also the amazing fruit smoothies for a minimal price). I got hooked on fuul (a Middle Eastern dish) in particular. Fuul is a dish of slow-cooked fava beans (ladled out of this massive cauldron-type thing positioned over low heat), whole cooked chickpeas, some broth, chopped fresh tomatoes and parsley, cumin, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil then eaten with freshly baked Syrian flat-bread. YUM. For equivalent of £0.70 it made a great meal whether it be dinner or breakfast. I wasn’t fussy and had it for both.
We were in two minds whether to go to Lebanon but the trouble there seems to have died down in the last week so we decided to give it a go. Hopefully Beirut will be the next posting.
We skipped through Jordan but on our way to the Syrian border crossing we visited Jerash which I was really pleased about as it would have been a shame to have left Jordan without seeing what is said to be one of the best sites to visit. While it is also said that Jerash is one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy, it isn’t a patch on Palmyra in my view but perhaps there are larger structures still to be found (I read somewhere that only 10% of Jerash has been excavated). What makes Palmyra stand out is the desert setting along with the fact the ruins appear much larger and grander, where Jerash is right bang smack on the edge of a city. Regardless, I still get a thrill from walking around ruins that are nearly 2000 years old and it is still impressive.
Oval Plaza and Colonnaded Street (stretches 800m) – both dated around 1st-2nd century
Colonnade
The very grand public water fountain built in 191 AD
Amphitheatre built in 165 AD (doubled in size in 235 AD to hold 1600 people)
View from the northern end of the Jerash site
This was just bizarre and something we didn’t expect to see but he was actually quite good and when a little girl got scared of the drummer playing next to him, he switched from some Scottish tune to Yankee Doodle.
Euan didn’t go into the site as he’d been before so stayed minding all our bags and drinking tea with various stall holders at the entrance to the site. We came back to find about 5 of them engrossed in conversation. He got talking with one chap who was a police helicopter pilot (trained in Cheltenham!) and asked if he could give us a lift to Damascus but got told the helicopter would get shot down as soon as they crossed the Syrian border. Random fact - Jordan has seven police helicopters. Why we don’t know and the pilot didn’t seem to know why they have that many either but he did say that most of the time they’re just used for traffic control. Bizarre.
From Jerash it was off to the next border crossing from Jordan into Syria, only a 35min and a totally different experience (but if we’d had Israeli stamps in our passports it would be a whole different story and we would have been refused entry outright). There had to be no, and I mean NO, evidence that we’d been in Israel or we wouldn’t be allowed in. We’d thus far managed OK – we’d got the guys on the Jordanian border to stamp exit stamps on a small bit of paper and the very sullen Israeli border guards (all very hard-core looking young women) actually obliged when we asked for no Israeli stamps in our passports both going in and out of the country. All Israeli-related items (pamphlets, water bottles, old tickets etc) got thrown out, anything with Israeli packaging either got unpacked or the labels ripped off, memory cards with photos were swapped with fresh cards and hidden (I hid my spare memory cards in the middle of a roll of loo paper which I thought was quite smart, Euan wasn’t so convinced). Its crazy but unfortunately necessary. The Jordan/Syrian border crossing was incredibly quiet, presumably because its not the main crossing (it was a different border point to the one we exited Syria through 10 days previously). The guards were clearly bored and instead of searching our bags, waved us over for a cup of tea. So, with nowhere to stay, an hour plus drive from Damascus and no way of getting there, we were sitting drinking tea making small-talk with border guards at 1930hrs. It was the best thing we could have done. Our packs stayed in the car unopened and we headed on through with no problems, negotiated a taxi fare (minibuses had packed it in for the night) and we were off. Job done, next job was finding somewhere to sleep.
We spent a decent amount of time in Damascus but also visited Bosra, a small town 80km south of the City that was originally built of black basalt. The ruins of the old town really were ruins and it was difficult to decipher what was what.
Bosra old city ruins
The amphitheatre was incredibly well preserved thanks to the Arabs who turned it into a citadel and build a wall around it, thus protecting it from the elements and attacks. It was huge (seated 15,00 apparently) and worth a visit if passing.
Amphitheatre (2nd century AD)
Me standing at the bottom of the amphitheatre taken from ½ way up
From the top of the amphitheatre
Men returning from prayer through the ruins
Bosra itself was “without culture” (to quote a Syrian man we met in Damascus). We weren’t impressed with the people or the town and had another unpleasant incident with stones and also glass being thrown. It’s the young kids who do this and who knows what they’re being taught. We were a bit torn as to how to react or what to do. Reprimand would guarantee us trouble (can you imagine two Westerners reprimanding an Arab child?) and would undoubtedly have had half the town at us in a split second.
Despite the incident above, the days we spent in Damascus were wonderful. It’s a truly amazing city. We both had a hammam (Turkish Bath) and that was very very enjoyable. The Hammams for men and woman are different establishments (men pay less but get less pampered!) and the one I went to was very authentic and used by many Syrian women who were there at the same time as I. The bath house itself was made of very old stone dating from 13th century and the interior was both marble and stone. The combination of steam, hot water, massages, oils, scrubbing, bubbly baths, sauna and thorough washing with hand-made Syrian olive oil soap was just bliss and felt very decadent. Needless to say, I was there for hours. Euans experience was slightly different. Seemed a bit more basic but included a steam, soak, scrubbing and washing then finished off by being wrapped in many thick white cloths and settling down for a nagileh (water pipe) and tea.
We visited the Umayyad Mosque which was huge and surprisingly peaceful despite the 100s of people and the kids running round. The mosaics were most impressive and unweathered given the mosque was built in 705 AD (it was converted from a Byzantine Cathedral).
Mosaic near the main entrance
Interior of Mosque
Huge mosaic in mosque
More detail of above
What I had to wear (I quite liked it - especially the headscarf that kept my damn hair out of my eyes!)
Not sure what this was and we couldn't find out but it looked pretty cool (the patterns on the sides are more mosaics)
Mosque entrance (you can see the tree on the top right in more detail below)
Tree mosaic in more detail
....and even more detail!
Inside the Mosque
We also spent a lot of time wandering the souqs and the Christian part of the Old City as there is just so much to look at and you never know what was going to be around the next corner.
Souq Hamidyya
We also got very lost which is the best thing to do I think. In one remote part of the Old City we heard this roaring noise that sounded like powerful fans but when we poked our heads through the door, we found it was a number of copper drums used like concrete mixers but full of sugared almonds that were being smoothed! The roar was deafening and it hurt to take my hands off my ears to take this picture.
This guy had a load of garlic and watermelons and his cart took up the whole road in places. In a very narrow part of the road, I was walking behind a kid who he thwacked really hard across the back with the end of his reins as he went past. I was working out what to do if I got the same treatment but thankfully I didn’t.
The offal on offer in loads of shops is eye-opening (and I'm used to that kind of stuff!). This is a typical butchers shop in Damascus. I’m not sure where they actually kill the sheep but suspect its in the shop or just outside but early in the morning. We came across more blow torches (like that being used to brown those trotters in Aleppo) but this time being used to brown whole sheep intestines. Niiiice.
Butchers shop in Damascus
We also visited the Azem Palace which was OK but not worth going out of your way for if you’ve limited time.
We're quite sorry to leave Damascus. We loved the culture, the friendly people and delightful kids (oh, and also the amazing fruit smoothies for a minimal price). I got hooked on fuul (a Middle Eastern dish) in particular. Fuul is a dish of slow-cooked fava beans (ladled out of this massive cauldron-type thing positioned over low heat), whole cooked chickpeas, some broth, chopped fresh tomatoes and parsley, cumin, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil then eaten with freshly baked Syrian flat-bread. YUM. For equivalent of £0.70 it made a great meal whether it be dinner or breakfast. I wasn’t fussy and had it for both.
We were in two minds whether to go to Lebanon but the trouble there seems to have died down in the last week so we decided to give it a go. Hopefully Beirut will be the next posting.
3 comments:
This looked amasing.
Those mosques and mosaics are completely out of this world. they must be really awesom to look at.
x
Ladi
i am completely loving these blogs! Amazing to hear about that part of the world and the photos are bringing it all to life, brilliant!
love
Pip x
Enjoyed your account about Damascus. What a fascinating and interesting place. Loved the mosaics on the outside of the mosque especially the tree. Some of it sounds scary though. Am looking forward to reading more. It's all so old but beautifully preserved.
Love Margie.
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