An evening exploration of the streets of Damascus… “…no recorded event has occurred in the world but Damascus was in existence to receive news of it. Go back as far as you will into the vague past, there was always a Damascus… She has looked upon the dry bones of a thousand empires and will … Continue reading
I was amused by the fact that during a heavy rainstorm in Damascus, these kids chose to play with their umbrellas rather than use them to protect against the rain: Continue reading
The windshield was dirty and cracked, the picture is blurry… I didn’t care because I was so pumped up to actually be entering Syria: I should mention at this point how unexpected taking the above picture was for me. We met a number of people in Lebanon that were refused entry to Syria on suspicion … Continue reading
The Minaret of Qaitbay as seen from the outside of the Umayyad Mosque… Considered the first monumental work of architecture in Islamic history, the Umayyad Mosque (also called the Great Mosque of Damascus) is a melting pot of different faiths. It houses the mausoleum of John the Baptist — which is said to contain his … Continue reading
As we were entering Damascus, our taxi driver pointed out the palace where Bashar al-Assad lives on a hill overlooking the city. It’s quite a structure: You can get a pretty good view of the impressive layout of the palace and the surrounding gardens from Google Earth. Just type in “Damascus, Syria” and zoom in … Continue reading
If readers have been following recent events within Syria, they will know that Friday has become the day when things kick off between the government forces and those seeking to extend the “Arab Spring” as it is now being called. So, I was rather curious as to what the mood would be in Damascus last … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 