At the Lighthouse

A few more snapshots from my trip to Syria: this time from our day-trip to Palmyra.

If you’re ever in Damascus, you should really make sure to take a short trip to Palmyra. A two-and-a-half hour-long drive through the stony desert will get you there, and you can even hire a cab to drive you if you’re feeling luxurious or just wary of bus rides - taxis are unbelievably cheap in Syria, and the drivers are fairly sensible and service-minded. A deserted ancient Roman situated in an palm-tree oasis, Palmyra is an incredible sight. We arrived there in the evening, and went up to this beautiful old castle to watch the sun set over the stone desert:

Palmyra sunset - and tourists busses

When I first saw how this photo had turned out, I was somewhat annoyed that I’d managed to include the not-so-aesthetically pleasing tourist busses in the picture. But to be honest,  the picture is pretty true to the actual experience. While the sunset was beautiful, the place was chock-full of tourists, and that cheapened the experience somewhat. Not least beacuse the tourists attracted a herd of local salesmen who were much more aggressive than the ones we’d met in Damascus.

But we stayed the night in a hotal in Palmyra, having decided to follow Lonely Planet’s advice and get up early in the morning to see the sun rise over the Roman ruins. We got up at 4.30 the next morning and staggered sleepily into the ruins, expecting to find as many tourists and salesmen as the night before crowding the place. But lo and behold, we had the place all to ourselves! And I think it’s probably one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen; Palmyra in that pale blue morning light…

Ruins. And the moon.

Sunrise

 …while the sun rose in the horizon, phramed by ancient pillars…

Ruins - The Boyfriend poses

 …The Boyfriend who is a big fan of the ancient Romans and thus was like a kid in a candy store the whole time we were there, bless his heart…

And I still have a lot of studying to do. My initial intention was to write one or more essays about my trip to post here, because Syria was really a life-altering experience for me, but what with my busy exam schedule and all, you’ll have to do without my self-indulgent (“self-indulgent”? Let’s hope I’m more eloquent at my upcoming exam…) self-absorbed ramblings. Instead, I’m posting some pictures:

The Danish Institute

The Danish Institute where our friend worked. Court yards are big in Damascus, but this one is one of the most famous and most well-restored. I loved the fountain and the mosaic, and the yard was made even more heavenly by the fact that only a few walls seperated it from the dusty, chaotic souq where the Institute is situated, and yet the yard was somehow always a tranquil, quiet place.

Damascus souq

What’s a souq, you ask? The souqs are roofed bazaars. You can see an example at the picture above. The salesmen were eager to sell, of course, but they were also very polite, like pretty much every Syrian I met, so there was a pleasant, albeit hectic atmosphere in the souqs. I bought a lot of scarves.

The Umayyad Mosque

I’ve been told that the Umayyad Mosque is the third most important mosque in the world! Built way back in the year 751, and housing the relic of Saint John’s skull (Saint John being an important prophet to Islam), it was indeed an impressive sight. As in all of the Damascus mosques I had to wear a hooted frock to cover my hair, and both men and women were to remove their shoes before entering the sacred place. The picture was taken in the mosque yard.

The Barber of Damascus

From the sacred grounds of a mosque to a more prosaic site: Here’s a Damascus barber, and The Boyfriend’s and my friend M. getting a Syrian shave.