Damascene

The other day I mentioned how much I miss traveling, so all throughout the weekend, I will share some photos of my trips to Damascus, Syria; highlighting a different point with each post. These pictures were taken during my most recent visit, this past Summer.

Damascus is the capitol of Syria and is the oldest inhabited city in the world! Even today, upon visiting, there are neighborhoods known as 'Old Damascus' and others that are more modern. Everything, from the architecture, to the shops, the souks, and even the neighbors, are so rich with history; the city is practically a live museum! Living in the states, I am used to modernity, so I really enjoy roaming the old city neighborhoods of Syria when I visit.

And of course, it is no secret that every girl loves to shop, even if it's just window shopping, and in Damascus, there are many malls, and small independent shops as well, but again, all of that is great, but not new to me at all. so instead, whenever I visit, I head to the souks, otherwise known as the marketplace. In the souks especially, it gets very crowded early on in the day with tourists from all over the globe and locals shuffling through the sea of people to pick up groceries and among other items, however, it's a great place to go for amazing souvenirs, oils, spices, books, anything really, for amazing prices. If you are thinking of visiting Damascus, you must go to the souks, the experience unforgettable. Here are some photos from the souks of Damascus, enjoy!

Shoppers crowd a souk for snacks, headscarves and bags.


A young boy watches his family's perfume, incense and oil shop.


A spice market in Damascus


Masha'Allah, look at that architecture!

Tourists roam the souk for goodies!
Princess

Home Sweet Home

So, today I wanted to share with you some photos of what a traditional Syrian home looks like. Typically, most of the older homes are quite spacious with many, many rooms. Much of the furniture seen in homes is made using mother of pearl adornments as seen on the cabinet in the photo to the left and the couches in the last photo of the living room.

The main room is always the largest. Upon entering this room, you will notice that there is no ceiling, which allows for great amounts of sun and a refreshing breeze to enter the home in the summer. However, in the winters, the concept of no ceiling becomes quite a nuisance so most people have installed a makeshift adjustable ceiling which can be pulled on and off, kind of like the roof top on a convertible car! Every home has a living room, a main room, a guest room, of course a kitchen and several restrooms, depending on the size of the home, and walk in closet rooms. Enjoy the photos!

All of the bedrooms are usually on the second floor of the home, there is usually over five.


Main room fountain surrounded by flowers and plants.

Living room with traditional furniture and wall decor of bronze and silver plates.

Princess