Wait. You're going where?: Balad Ash-Sham

Balad Ash-Sham –15^th May 2010

This past weekend was my final trip I would be taking during my time in Jordan. A good friend of mine and I took a cab to the northern border, waited at the Jordanian-Syrian border crossing for an agonizing 5.5hrs, and by the end of the night, we were resting comfortable in our hotel room in Damascus. Talking with friends who have made the trek beforehand, it is very common for Americans without visa’s to have to wait anywhere between 3-12 hours at the border to obtain one. I doubt a majority of that time is utilized by security checks on who exactly we are, if I had to guess, its more political motivations to cause us an inconvenience at the border. However, when we finally reached out hotel, my friend was reading a magazine article about Syrian citizens complaining about having to go through extra security when they travel to the US simply because they are Syrian. Honestly? I don’t give a shit because I would much rather be patted down a little extra or have my bag searched than have to wait 5.5 f***ing hours at the border just to get through. No sympathy there on my behalf.

Because it was only a normal weekend, we only had enough time to spend one full day in Damascus so we decided just to stay in the city and try to hit as many things as possible. The first thing we visited was the Souk Al-Hamidiyah, which is an ancient market dating back to the early history of Damascus. (Damascus itself is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world!) At the end of the day, we stopped by a restaurant in the Souk to try out the famed Bakdash Ice Cream, considered some of the best ice cream in the world! (Oh man was it delicious!) At the end of the Souk was one of the main sites I was dying to see: the Omayyad Mosque. Originally a temple, then a church, and finally turned into a mosque following the reconquering of the holy land by Arab general Salah Ad-Din, the mosque is considered one of the most stunning examples of Islam Architecture in the entire world! It was wonderful getting to see the magnificent stone and wood work that make this place famous. The mosque is also famous because it is historically important for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. According to Wikipedia… “as this was the destination of the ladies and children of the family of Muhammad, made to walk here from Iraq, following the battle of Karbala.”

The Battle of Karbala was famous because it is the moment when Husayn Ibn Ali was killed, causing what most agree to be the permanent rift between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. What was very interesting to see at the mosque was groups of Shi’a pilgrims visiting the site and praying and weeping frantically in a room where it is believed that Husayn Ibn Ali prayed while imprisoned and where “all the other heads of those who fell in Karbala were kept within the Mosque.” (Wikipedia)

Following the mosque, we explored the old city of Damascus a little bit and then visited the National Museum of Damascus. There was nothing too new or exciting there. Once you’ve seen Roman/Byzantine/Christian/etc artifacts before, it takes something a lot more exciting to wow you. However, by the end of the museum, a guard pulled my friend and I aside and took us to a special cordoned off section of the museum. We had to go through a locked steel door and several rooms to get there, but he showed us an ancient Jewish temple that the museum was built next to. Not permitted to take photos, we were astonished to see how well preserved the paintings inside the temple were. There were depictions of stories from the Old Testament as well as zodiac symbols on the ceiling! For once I can say that I am glad that I followed a random Syrian man to an isolated corridor! It was definitely worth it!

One thing that I greatly missed during this trip was the little idea of Freedom of Speech. Syria itself is a Baathist Police State and according to the Department of State Travel Warning, discussing politics could get you sent to jail. Last thing I wanted from this trip was to end up in a Syrian prison. Getting back into Jordan where there are less speech restrictions was a great feeling, but getting back home will be absolutely amazing. Its something that I will never take for granted again.

FUN FACTS:

It is politically incorrect to call Native Americans “Indians” back in the US. However, that mistake caused by Christopher Columbus also exists in Arabic, where the term for Native Americans is literally translated as “Red Hindi’s.”

I was walking to catch a cab to my first of two final exams this week when the sky started roaring. As I looked up, 4 Jordanian F-16 fighter jets screamed overhead about 500 ft off the ground. I considered it a good omen for my exam and needless to say, it made me miss home.