Eat, Pray, Love…in Syria

By The Itinerant Introvert on June 21, 2015 • ( Leave a comment )

Eat, Pray, Love
in Syria

There is a saying in Syria that goes:

“Eat in Aleppo because they have the freshest kitchens, drink in Damascus because the water is good and marry from Homs because the most beautiful women in Syria are reputed to come from there.”

Well there is good food to be had in the main tourist areas throughout Syria, the water in Damascus is not so good nowadays and the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, is married to a woman from Homs. As for the praying part take your pick. There is the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, one of the world’s holiest…

…and then there are the numerous Christian Churches carved into the mountains in Ma’alula where Aramaic, the language of Jesus and the original bible, is still spoken. And for a fine example of a well-preserved Crusaders castle, visit the Krak de Chevaliers.

Ma’alula
Photo by Kimberley (c)2010

Krak de Chevaliers
Photo by Kimberley (c)2010

Plus there are many more mosques, churches and temples throughout the country.

For the love of the game…

I was in Syria during the 2010 World Cup soccer games and the pre-uprising ‘era’. Everywhere were flags supporting the teams playing in the World Cup. It’s not just during international sporting events that different nations have been represented here.

“Walk this way.”
~Aerosmith song~

Many civilizations have passed this way making their presence known e.g. The Romans, Phoenicians and Greeks to name a few. After all this is the ‘cradle of civilization’.

Cradle of Civilization
on site Egypt and Beyond

In days long gone were the caravans travelling the ancient trading route from China, the Silk Road. Up until recently, modern-day tourism traveled these roads with tourists.

Silk Road and tourism analogy
caravans of camels = busloads of tourists
Silk Road = tourist trail
purchase of spices and silk = same as today with haggling involved
the caravanserai*= hotels
*where travellers are fed and have a bed

Syria is relatively inexpensive to travel in, has many important historic and religious sites and a few tourists compared to the tourism mecca that is Egypt. Keep abreast of the current situation in Syria and check government travel advisories to see when it is safe to travel to this fascinating land.