VISITING SYRIA before the Arab Spring I had a great visit to Syria.

I HAD A MARVELLOUS VISIT INTO SYRIA BEFORE THE CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION IN SYRIA as a result of what the West calls the Arab Spring. With the near fall of the Assad regime, I thought that I would dig up some old photos.

I hope that the country will again become accessible to tourists.

Driving up from Jordan we reached Damascus via Daraa, Busra and Qanawat. Goodness knows where my photos of these disappeared, the pre-digital days didn’t suit me. These towns are ancient – and Busra especially with its Roman and Nabataean remains was a superb place to stop in.

In Damascus – our ‘hotel’ was a converted mansion on Baghdad Avenue, of an impoverished upper-middle-class family. The house had some charm but my room had little comfort; nonetheless, it served a purpose as it was within walking distance of the ancient core of Damascus.

We walked down “the street called Straight” where St Paul is said to have stayed. The Ummayad Mosque, Al Hamidiyah Souq and Al Azem Palace Museum were great draws. The Ummayid Mosque is said to have the remains of John the Baptist a Christian saint and Hussain, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. Damascus was historically divided into quarters, including Tuma Quarter, a Christian section with ancient houses and a great atmosphere.

However by far the most memorable aspect of my time was a visit to the Hakawati in a crowded coffee shop near the Al Azem Palace Museum. We had been directed to the Hakawati by the museum’s director and, remarkably, a couple of spare seats were available at the front facing the Hakawati himself, a traditional storyteller. No sooner than we had started on our coffee when the storyteller’s tale flowed into a meeting of King Hussain and Sultan Qaboos. He had been primed for our arrival, me from Oman and my friend from Jordan – a magical piece out of 1001 Nights.

From Damascus, we drove through Maaloula with its Convent and service in Aramaic. This is a small piece in the genuinely jigsaw-like mix of religions, ethnicities and political outlooks – that Syria is today and always has been.

Palmyra and Krak des Chevaliers provided spectacular and monumental buildings as did Masyaf, with its own castle. The coastal town of Tartus and the offshore island of Arwad brought us into the Mediterranean World – doubtless under the watchful gaze of the Russian naval base just outside the old town.

Syria provided me with a memorable two weeks. The history and scenery blended to offer almost non-stop interest.

But, as with so many countries, the people we met made the journey truly special. I found them welcoming, industrious, happy to meet a visitor and willing to assist if asked. They were however notably poorer than the population in Jordan and doubtless looking out for ways to increase their family’s income.
If Syria does become a safe place to visit, perhaps under the leadership of  Abu Mohammad Al Jolani (AKA Ahmed Al Sharaa). He appears to be a pragmatic, media-savvy leader of the ‘Syrian Salvation Government’ (doubtless influenced by Turkey); anyone with an interest in the region should place it high on the list.