Middle East Travel Diary 2010
It has been wonderful to have a day just soaking up the atmosphere of Aleppo. After a very late night last night attending to e-mails, we slept in to 8:15 am this morning - not having any windows in our room certainly helped maintain a good sleep!
Interspersed with my sightseeing today I spent quite a bit of time investigating the program of urban renewal here in Aleppo, using as a basis the information I had gleaned the previous day at the urban planning and renewal exhibition. Once I had been sensitised to the urban renewal programs, I started finding evidence almost everywhere I looked - newly renovated wooden balconies on traditional homes, new open areas and parklands, newly paved pathways, the city’s first pedestrian crossings, and so on. I suspect that Andrew had trouble understanding why I might want so many photos of people almost getting run over at a pedestrian crossing (as the concept of how pedestrian crossings might work in practice does not seem widely understood here), but he was very patient as I gathered my data.
The Citadel was so impressive that we stayed there until early afternoon. It comprised ruins from many eras on top of a huge artificial hill that can be seen from many parts of Aleppo. We were told that some of the earliest remains dated back to the 3rd millennium BC, and the first fortifications were built by the Seleucids in 363 BC to 333 BC. These were added to by successive invading armies, notably the Crusaders during the 12th century and the Mamluks who occupied the area from 1250 to 1517.
Having regained strength after our rest in the Sewar, we proceeded to walk the full east-west length of what was once Aleppo’s main street, the connected covered souqs known as Souq al-Zarb, Souq al-Attarine and Souq Bab Antakya. Soon after we entered the souqs there was a power failure, and we suddenly found ourselves experiencing the souqs in their traditional form, when the only illumination came from the tiny square overhead open skylights. This was an almost magical experience, as all modern recorded sounds were lost and the shafts of light penetrated the dusty and smoky air through to the ground (see the photo to the left).
Even when the lights are turned on, Aleppo’s souqs have hardly changed in centuries, and it is not difficult to imagine oneself arriving after a long overland journey through the parched countryside and being overwhelmed by the vibrancy, the colour, the aromas and the life of Aleppo’s souqs. Many of the shops exhibited true artistry in their displays, whether they were selling spices, scarves, soaps, silks, sweets, or a thousand other things beginning with all the other letters of the alphabet.
By early afternoon the heat was becoming quite oppressive, so we decided to take a break for an hour and a half, return to the hotel, and catch up on e-mails and make some important phone calls. Although our room had no internet provision, a lounge room off the reception area did, and so we were able to complete our tasks.
This reminds me - I should apologise that I have not been able to update these diary pages every day as I had hoped while I have been in Syria. I am not sure whether the problem has been the country’s savage internet filtering or simply lousy bandwidth (or a mix of both). Many websites are banned in Syria, including Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo and, of course, those many websites that promote a pro-Israeli viewpoint. The reason given is that all these websites have been infiltrated by the Israelis. I have heard that any website containing the word “Syria” is also scrutinised before being uploaded, which might be the barrier I have hit. Anyway, I am hoping that uploading might become a little easier after tomorrow when (sadly in most other ways) we will leave Syria.
To the immediate north of Al-Jdeida, the Old City gives way to Aleppo’s new city, with wider streets, even more cars and modern shops. It was fascinating to see the difference that crossing a street can make in Aleppo - nothing whatsoever resembling the “Fashion for Woman” store shown on the right could be found anywhere in the Old City!
It was a fitting farewell to our all-too-short stay in Syria. I would love to come back some time as there are so many places here in Syria that I have not had time to visit on this trip - the Euphrates River water management areas, the village of Maalula near Damascus where Aramahic (the language spoken by Christ) is still spoken, and the ruined city of Palmyra to name just a few.
As I find myself saying so often - next time!
Monday, 5 July 2010
Day 18 - Aleppo, Syria
Click any photo to enlarge