BLOG: A day in Damascus
Day 2 (Friday, March 26) A day in Damascus
Our first full day was spent in Damascus, perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. We checked out the city’s famous Souk al-Hamidiyeh (market), but it was a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, so the souk wasn’t as bustling as usual.
After walking through a part of the souk, we arrived at the entrance of the Umayyad Mosque, perhaps the biggest attraction in Damascus.
After admiring the mosque from outside its fortress-like walls, we were hoping to get a peek at the courtyard area. We did, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
After that, we wandered around a bit before bumping into a Jewish man, who just happened to approach the only Jewish guy in our group. (Don’t ask me how that happened.) The man asked us if we wanted a tour of the nearby Jewish Quarter, an invitation we eagerly accepted. He then led us through the narrow streets the small community.
Afterward, we got a similar tour of the Christian Quarter, and were able to witness a band procession at a local church, which was a special moment for me.
As night rolled around, we stopped by a café for Turkish coffee. Since had some playing cards and some spare time, I taught a few of the guys how to play Euchre. We then walked through another souk for a couple hours. (One of my friends bought a shirt that said “Obama” in English and in Arabic — ?????; it was definitely the best purchase of the night.)
