2006.05.16_Farewell Damascus

Before hiring a service taxi from Baramke Station, we wandered in the old city of Damascus one last time. We had some delicious vanilla ice-cream. A ice-cream cone was only about 15 cents USD. A large crowd of school children gathered around the vendor as we about to walk off.

At Baramke, we hired a taxi to make the trip to Amman of Jordan. We picked a driver in his fifties, who drove back and forth Amman and Damascus. He wore a full set of suit.

It didn't take us much time to go through the passport controls on both the Syrian and Jordanian sides. After 1.5 hour we finally arrived at downtown Amman. We checked at Sydney Hotel, dropped off our bags, and off we go to look for the famous Palestinian juice stands for a cup of refreshment. We had our first Jordanian dinner at Cairo Restaurant.

2006.05.15_Damascus

In Damascus, we decided to visit the National Archaeological Museum. It has a fabulous archaeological collections from all over Syria, from pre-Classical periods up to Islamic and Byzantine times. I was particularly interested in the Ugarit inscriptions. There are the earliest alphabet that we have discovered so far. At the museum shop, I bought a necklace carved with Ugarit alphabet.

MC and I passed dinner. We strolled from district to district and ended up reaching the Mezzeh District, a wealthy area dotted with various embassies. We passed by many embassies and walked through a market area. We passed by street after street of well-maintained French mansions, from which piano music could be heard occasionally.

Back at the hostel, we bumped into a German photography student and an Australian Chinese. Similar to us, the German student visited Turkey before coming to Syria. He planned to travel until mid August. The Australian Chinese is an experienced traveler. He has been to many places in the world. Iran, India, and Pakistan are among his favorites.

In the evening, MC, HC and I went to Galaxy Internet cafe to go online. At 01:00, MC, SH and NU took a taxi for the airport. Their Middle Eastern journey had come to an end. On the other hand, HC, AK and I continued our journey as we entered the final day in Syria.

2006.05.14_Souk, Damascus

After Umayyad Mosque, we wandered in the souk. We discovered an unique shop that sells all kinds of textile, scarfs, bags, and embroideries made by Syrian and Palestinian women. I bought two scarves made with camel hair and silk. AK bought a piece of embroidery that depicts a Palestinian marketplace. After some souvenir shopping, we went to a shop called Bakdash, which is Syria's oldest ice-cream parlour. Bakdash has been around since 1890, selling rosewater and almond ice-cream topped with fresh pistachio. Each of us had a cone, and it was delicious.

2006.05.14_Umayyad Mosque, Damascus

After checking in at Al Rabie Hotel, we ventured out immediately to explore the famous Syrian capital. We walked through the busy streets and congested traffic, passed by the citadel, stroll through a covered souk, and at last reached the gate of the magnificent Umayyad Mosque, probably one of the most holiest Islamic sites in the world. The marble floor of the entry courtyard is clean and smooth. Like others, we took off our shoes, wandered in the courtyard and admired the two beautiful fountains.

The Umayyad Mosque was built in early 8th century by the Umayyad Caliphate at the shrine where Christian and Muslim pilgrims came to pay respect to St. John the Baptist. The small shrine which housed the head of St. John the Baptist still exists today within the Mosque. Inside the Mosque, it was fairly easy to locate the shrine of St. John the Baptist. It was kept in an elegant Classical structure with green-glazed archways on all four sides. Also kept in the Mosque included the head of Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

After a brief visit of the interior, we walked out to the courtyard and found our way to the Mausoleum of Saladin, the famous and powerful Muslim knight who fought off the Crusades and recaptured Palestine from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Mausoleum is a small stone building in which a large coffin covered with green textile is placed at the centre.