DAMASCUS, the oldest known capital in the world dubbed poetically as the ‘City of Jasmine’, is now opening up once again to visitors fascinated by the beauty of ancient civilisations, lured by mountainous landscapes and cuisines of mouth-watering qualities.
GDN’s chief reporter Mohammed Al A’Ali travelled with a party of charity champions to Syria on the first official trip by a Bahraini delegation and found a country struggling, but determined, to recover from natural disasters and man-made madness as it opens its arms tentatively to attract tourists in a bid to re-energise its economy.
Tourists are gradually converging on the Syrian capital, less than a month after the country’s suspended membership in the Arab League was reinstated at the organisation’s recent Jeddah Summit.
Syria’s membership was suspended in 2011 after being gripped by civil war. As of 2023, active fighting in the conflict between the Syrian government and rebel groups had mostly subsided, and reports indicate that the forces of Daesh, also known as ISIS, in Syria had mostly been defeated, with only a few cells remaining in various remote locations.
Now, the country is busy grappling with severe human and material damage from the catastrophic earthquakes and aftershocks in February that have left families in urgent need of food, water, shelter, emergency medical facilities and psychosocial assistance.
The whole war-torn country is trying to rebuild from a myriad of disasters and once more get a grip on security, safety and enjoy a period of stability. But it will take time.
Power in the city and surrounding areas is shut off daily at 8pm to save energy supplies leaving roads and most buildings surrounded in a surreal cloak of dark and impending danger. The darkness is scary. A few services continue to operate thanks to generators and batteries storing solar energy. Many families have been left so destitute they are left trying to survive by begging on the streets.
I had the privilege of recently travelling to Damascus to accompany around 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid collected for survivors of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, as part of the Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS) humanitarian campaign. It was the first official delegation from Bahrain to arrive in Syria since the restoration of its membership on May 19.
Two trucks carrying basic food staples, necessary medical supplies and much-needed baby milk powder, amongst other items donated to the GDN Media’s #HelpThem Ramadan community campaign, have been handed over to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for distribution, as reported in the GDN.
The original plan was to travel by road with the convoy but after careful consideration the authorities in both countries thought it wiser for our party to catch a flight and meet the consignment of love on its arrival.
In light of economic stagnation, soaring inflation and continuous price hikes, the meagre income of those fortunate enough to work is now hardly enough to buy the basics.
Damascus, like other Syrian cities has seen massive price hikes on every-day groceries. Meat, such as lamb and chicken pieces, are considered a luxury. The price for a kilo of lean meat has risen to 110,000 Syrian pounds (lira), which is equivalent to BD5.500 – a cost exceeding the total monthly wage of workers in the public sector, whose salaries have lost almost 80 per cent of their value in 2011.
The price rise is also a 120pc increase compared to the cost of lamb last year in Syria. Likewise, a kilo of chicken now costs 25,000 lira BD1.250, which means 2kg of chicken would cost them 50,000 lira, which is BD2.500.
Around 20,000 lira is equivalent to BD1 on the black market.
The currency exchange woes for the Syrians, however, prove a bonus for those visiting the country. Lebanese families and couples are known to flock across the border in their cars most weekends to enjoy dining at the exquisite Damascene restaurants, setting down with their sheesha and enjoying the full entertainment programmes on offer.
Amongst the most popular dining destinations is the Jannet (Paradise) Saydnaya Restaurant in Saydnaya, located in the mountains, 1,500m above sea level and just 27km north of the capital city.
Saydnaya is the home of a Greek Orthodox monastery traditionally thought to have been founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, and where a renowned icon of the Virgin Mary is revered by believers to this day.
The buzz of hospitality may be back at such locations but the veil of tears and memories of recent troubled times are rarely hidden from view.
Moving from the restaurant by car to nearby Maaloula, located 56km to the northeast of Damascus and built into the rugged mountainside at an altitude of more than 1,500m, the team met with two nuns who had been abducted in 2013, who spoke about their horrific experiences.
They were among 13 nuns and three maids who were infamously kidnapped from a Christian hamlet and held by an Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Al Nusra Front, for a year.
A monitoring group said the release was secured in exchange for some 150 women prisoners who were being held in Syria’s regime jails.
Maaloula, similar to many places in Syria, needs to be rebuilt to its former glory. It is known as one of three remaining villages in which Western Aramaic – said to be the language of Jesus – continues to be spoken.
Continuing the trek 10km south of Damascus we arrived at Sayyidah Zaynab which was packed with religious tourists from around the globe, including Bahrainis, seeking blessings from the holy shrine of Zaynab, granddaughter of Prophet Mohammed.
Next stop was Damascus Old Town. It is home to many attractions and deserves more than one day of exploration.
Al Azem Palace is a 17th Century Palace built as a residence for As’ad Pasha Al-Azm, the governor of Damascus.
During the French occupation of Syria and Lebanon it became the headquarters of the French Institute. It is now home to the Syrian Museum of Arts and Traditions and offers a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city and proved to be a perfect place to enjoy a refreshing cup of tea.
Just a short walk away is the Umayyad Mosque built in the Seventh Century after the Muslim conquest of the city. It remains a masterpiece of early Islamic architecture and it is little wonder why Damascus Old Town remains a World Heritage site of some note. Islamic tradition also maintains that the head of John the Baptist is in Damascus, interred in a building that was once the Basilica of St John the Baptist and is now the Umayyad Mosque. A museum in Germany and a church in Jerusalem also claim to have fragments of the skull.
Sayyidah Ruqayyah Mosque is also close by and contains the shrine of Ruqayyah, the daughter of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed.
The Al-Hamidiyah Suq is the largest and central marketplace in Syria. Located in the heart of Old Damascus it makes for the perfect day for last-minute shopping.
Don’t miss Bakdash, a landmark ice cream parlour in the Al-Hamidiyah Suq, which is well worth the wait for a seat. Established in 1895, it is famous for its traditional Middle Eastern booza – a frozen dairy dessert.
For those interested in further nearby exploration, old Muslim and Christian neighbourhoods, such as Bab Tuma and Al-Qaimarryeh, are highly recommended.
The old Al Bahrain Hotel, which was used by Bahraini businessmen in the golden days of trade, is also a must visit, as is a walk across Umayyad Square that connects the city centre with several important highways and areas and contains various important buildings like the Defence Ministry, Syria’s National Opera House and the headquarters of the Syrian Armed Forces amongst diplomatic missions. It has its own dedicated cycling track too.
The name of the square is a reference to the Umayyads who took Damascus as the capital of their caliphate in the Seventh Century. Palmyra, however, remains under ongoing reconstruction following the infamous destruction by ISIS extremists.
The Damascene Sword monument, widely considered as the symbol of the city, stands in the square, and is considered a symbol and reminder ‘of the victories, strength and achievements of the Syrian people’.
Rebuilding the city and country as whole, and uniting its people, will perhaps be its finest moment yet to come.
l Syrian parliamentarians revealed during the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s 146th Assembly that talks were underway to resume direct flights between Bahrain and Damascus. Flights, however, are now available through multiple GCC airports such as Sharjah and, by the end of the month, from many Saudi Arabian cities.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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