Evening noria action
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The Four Norias
The Four Norias
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Not particularly more beautiful or interesting than any of the other ones, but there are a few fancy restaurants on the riverbank with a view to these waterwheels.
Short video of the groaning norias of Hama
I really didn't believe that these waterwheels turned on their own or really made that sound themselves. I thought it was all for show, but I think they're for real.
Hanging out in Hama
From Palmyra, I went to Hama, a town in the Orontes River valley. It is lush here with fertile land and plenty of water. Hama is known for its waterwheels, called "norias", which scoop water to irrigation aqueducts. Some of these are huge, measuring up to 20-meters in diameter. Made of wood, they make a groaning noise as they turn. It is quite loud. From Hama, I will be doing some daytrips to sights in the surrounding areas.
Tea break
Tea break
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
As I was wandering around the citadel's moat, I came upon these workers rebuilding a wall. They invited me for tea. Their English was limited and my Arabic ends after a brief exchange of greetings, so we played "name the capital city" game. The dude with the cowboy hat knew most of the capitals of the countries I had visited so far. When Geoff, a fellow American, showed up, and they found out he was American, they said, as everyone has done in the Middle East, "Welcome!"
Palmyra at sunset
Palmyra at sunset
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
I climbed the scree slope to the citadel and got this view as the sun was going down.
Funerary hypgeum
Funerary hypgeum
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
A necropolis on the hillside, these towers were used as tombs.
Temple of Bal, Palmyra
Temple of Bal, Palmyra
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
After four nights in Damascus, enjoying mezze dinners and even a visit to a hamman (bathhouse), I went to Palmyra. It is a town by an oasis halfway between the coast and the Euphrates River, and was an important outpost for the trade routes to the far east for over 1000 years. When it was annexed by Rome in 217 AD, it flourished in wealth.
Today there is a small town built by the ruins. There are hills around the area, and an Arab Citadel on a peak.
Lobby of the Al Haramein Hotel in Damascus
Lobby of the Al Haramein Hotel in Damascus
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
A very clean and inexpensive hotel. I had a dorm bed for $6. Rooftop mattresses went for less than $4.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Moat around the citadel
Moat around the citadel
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
There is a citadel at the old city, but it is off limits as it is being restored.
Western women covered up
Western women covered up
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Western women have to wear these brown robes at the mosque.
Saladin's mausoleum
Saladin's mausoleum
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Saladin ("Restorer of the Faith") was a Kurd, who successfully led the Muslims against the Crusaders. He was also portrayed in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven".
Massive khan door
Massive khan door
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
These doors were large enough to allow heavily-laden camels to walk through. The small door is what people used.
Khan, medieval mall
Khan, medieval mall
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Martin, a Flamand, showed me this "khan" in a souq. They were multistoried storage areas, stores, and motels with a single entrance that could be locked at night. This one was empty, being restored, but had photographs in display from the Centre Culturel Francais.
Azem palace
Azem palace
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Built in 1749 by the governor of Damascus, As'ad Pash al-Azem.
Muslim service
Muslim service
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
I heard this great choral singing in this mosque and dropped in for a peek. Immediately, room was made for me and I was seated and served some freshly squeeze orange juice. I stayed for about 20 minutes, also listening to this Iman speaking in Arabic. When I left, they gave me some candy-covered almonds as a gift. Syrians are so warm and friendly. "Axis of evil", my a%#!
Roman theatre at Bosra
Roman theatre at Bosra
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Only a couple hours from Damascus is Bosra. There are Roman ruins here, including a 15,000-person capacity Roman theatre.
Ice creamier
Ice creamier
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
This is like Turkish ice cream, beaten and beaten into a light mixture and dipped into pistachio seeds. It isn't very sweet and only costs 50 cents.
Mezze dinner
Mezze dinner
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
I met a couple of travellers at my hostel and we went to get some dinner in the old city. The old city is filled with homes that have been converted into beautiful restaurants. They have open courtyards with fountains and are not very expensive. We went to a Caffe Restaurant in the Christian Quarter (there is also a Jewish Quarter in the old city) and had a mezze, a few appetizers, to share. The food was fantastic and only came to $2 a person.
Minaret at night
Minaret at night
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
The three minarets at the Umayyad Mosque are all constructed in different styles.
National Museum
National Museum
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
They've transplanted the facade of a desert fortress (Qasr al-Heir al-Gharbi) to the National Museum in Damascus. The museum isn't that interesting, but it has a nice garden filled with Roman remains. There are some interesting rooms in the museum, and if you use a internationl student card (like I did), the 150 Syrian pound (SP) admission prices goes down to 10 SP. Now THAT'S a student discount! Most of the sights are priced similarly. $1 = 50 SP.
Narrow alleys in the old city
Narrow alleys in the old city
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Second story enclosed balconies are typical of the alleys in the old city.
Umayyad Mosque
Umayyad Mosque
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
This mosque dates from 705 AD. It is the main mosque in the old city. It was converted from a Byzantine Church, which was built on the site of a Temple of Jupiter.
An interesting banner at Souq Al Hamidiyya
An interesting banner at Souq Al Hamidiyya
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Damascus has large souqs, or shopping areas, in its old city. There was this interesting banner hanging up in the Al Hamidiyya Souq.
Entering Syria
Entering Syria
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
It only took three hours to get through the passport control on the Syrian side compared to the five hours to get to Israel.
If you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, you're banned from almost all Muslim countries except for Morocco, Turkey, and Jordan, but if you go across at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge like I did, you can try and convince the Israeli immigration not to stamp your passport. Fortunately, at this border crossing, the Jordanians won't stamp your passport because they still consider the West Bank part of Jordan.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
I made it to Syria!
Today I made my way to the Syrian border from Amman and waited for three hours until they issued me a visa. Officially, Syrian visas are not available at the border unless there is no consulate in your country, and I had asked in Cairo, but they had turned me down, so I was disappointed. However, I had heard from other travellers and even the hotel clerk in Amman that many people were able to get their visas at the border, even Americans; so, I gave it a try and it worked!
Syria is cheaper and the infrastructure is dirtier than Jordan; Damascus reminds me more of Cairo than Amman. There is an old city near the center, which claims to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, which is full of narrow souqs. There are more people in Damascus than in all of Jordan. I feel really happy to be here. I can't believe my luck.
Syria is cheaper and the infrastructure is dirtier than Jordan; Damascus reminds me more of Cairo than Amman. There is an old city near the center, which claims to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, which is full of narrow souqs. There are more people in Damascus than in all of Jordan. I feel really happy to be here. I can't believe my luck.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Yemenite Quarter
Yemenite Quarter
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
The Yemenite Quarter has a nice bustling open market with cheap eats.
Fishing near Jaffa
Fishing near Jaffa
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Jaffa is an old port just south of Tel Aviv. Actually it's just about a mile south of downtown TA. It was a port during the Crusade period and has a small quaint old city that has been, expectedly, into an upscale tourist area with art galleries and fine dining.
Tel Aviv buildings
Tel Aviv buildings
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Tel Aviv, a beachside town, only an hour from Jerusalem, reminded me of Miami's South Beach, and not just because of the architecture. It is a pleasant city, with an excellent promenade. Beautiful people exercise along the promenade all day long. It has a good bus system, but it is easily walked as well. There are nice pedestrian areas lined with cafes and shops and corner grocery stores. It is almost like a New York City neighborhood placed on a warm climate on the water.
The Saturday night crowd
The Saturday night crowd
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
By midnight, however, the streets, especially around Zion Square were packed. I was told it would be like that until 5 am.
New Jerusalem at night
New Jerusalem at night
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
We ventured out after sundown, when the Jewish weekly shabbat was over. It was pretty empty out at night for a Saturday at 9 pm.
Hanging out in the Muslim Quarter
Hanging out in the Muslim Quarter
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
A couple travellers moved into the hostel after a couple nights of being the lone tourist. Ali and Shaz hailed from the UK and had been travelling alone in the Mideast. Ali had spent the last three months in Syria, Iran, and Israel. Shaz had visited Egypt and Jordan and now was on a pilgramage of sorts to Jerusalem.
My hostel, the Golden Gate Inn, was a great place in the Muslim Quarter, but the long-term residents in the dorm were a bit off. There was a 65 year old Palestinian who muttered to anyone who would listen and had a habit of speaking angrily in the dark in the middle of the night, sometimes shouting. There were a couple older blind guys, and a guy who claimed to be an American but kept quiet, to himself, but had a off-putting smirk on his face. A very strange group.
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