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Stepping back in time


Naomi

Naomi Prior, 23, is studying Arabic in Yemen. She tells us what life is like for an English woman in the intriguing Middle Eastern country.
Entry: 9

Naomi finds herself day dreaming about the past as she wanders around one of the most ancient inhabited cities in the world.

Syria boasts incredible architectural diversity and Damascus, the capital, claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world and was founded by the grandson of Shem, son of Noah. The Prophet Muhammad apparently turned back when he approached Damascus because he only wanted to see paradise once - when he died. 'Paradise' isn't your first impression when you spend hours in traffic jams looking for the Hotel Mujeed as we did on arrival, but once we immersed ourselves into the labyrinths of the old city, all was forgiven. While the old city of Damascus lacked the gingerbread architectural charm of Old Sana'a in Yemen, I loved the infinite number of courtyard restaurants, complete with fountains, vines, tiling, flowers and open roofs. A visitor could easily spend weeks hurrying up and down the alleys without realising that through non-descript doorways lay beautiful courtyard restaurants waiting to be enjoyed.

Syria has some of the best food in the Middle East and after bountiful plates of mezze, washed down with Lebanese red wine, I can vouch for that. One thing I wasn't converted to was the alcoholic drink 'Raki'. I loved the Lonely Planet description of the drink, which said something along the lines of: "Raki is like a holiday romance. It seems a good idea at the time, but when you take it out of the original place you experienced it, it never seems as good as you remember!" Amen.

"Call me corny, but I'm always in awe of how old these ruins are and how well they've lasted. No factory-built homes for the Romans!"
Palmyra

Roman ruins of Palmyra

The vine-covered courtyards of Damascus gave way to the Roman ruins of Palmyra. Call me corny, but I'm always in awe of how old these ruins are and how well they've lasted. No factory-built homes for the Romans! It was mesmerising to walk through the ruins and down the old colonnade and think of the people thousands of years before me wearing togas and riding their chariots. Palmyra was impressive, not just because of its scale, but for the intricate inscriptions and carvings that were still visible, revealing soldiers, bunches of grapes, animals and eggs.

Syria has an impressive collection of Crusader Castles. One of the most famous is Krak de Chevaliers, which stands proudly on a hill top, surrounded by alpine valleys and the snowy peaks of Lebanon. Again I was impressed by its longevity - it's over 800 years old but the outer walls appear almost as pristine as the day it was built. I got easily lost in my own imagination and half expected knights to ride over the drawbridge, or jesters to come bouncing out of the dark passages. Getting lost in historical thoughts was quite sobering; knowing just enough of the history of the crusades to know how bloody they were and how much cruelty was inflicted on all those involved. I also thought repeatedly about how the crosses I saw etched in the stone work were the work of men who had travelled thousands of miles overland from Europe in an age without easy air travel.

Citadel

Aleppo's high-walled citadel

Perched high up on a natural mound, Aleppo's 12th century citadel was a high-walled city looking commandingly down on the souqs, houses and mosques of Aleppo. The entrance was an imposing medieval gate, with a bridge across a now dried up moat and a portcullis that would be slammed down to keep out unwanted visitors. I was certainly one visitor to Syria that didn't want to be kept out. Syria had got me hooked in my first encounter and left me wanting to experience more, but for now I'm on my way to the Yemeni island of Socotra. I'm looking forward to seeing if there really are any pirates nearby. Ooh-ar, me hearties!


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