We left off with our last Syria blog with me coming down with a rather nasty illness. I had messaged our guide Ghassan to ask if it was possible to stay an extra night in Damascus because I seriously did not feel up to the journey that we had in our planned itinerary.
I felt like death.
I actually can’t recall a time in my life where I have ever felt more unwell. The idea of being stuck in a hot car for at least 8 hours made me just about weep. However, such deviations to our itinerary were not possible according to Ghassan.
It is my belief that this is because when you apply for a visa with your tour company, the itinerary gets approved and your visa is contingent on you sticking to the route you have outlined, so unfortunately, I just had to suck it up and get through an incredibly uncomfortable day.
Ghassan was a real sweetie with me being sick, he called his eldest daughter (a pharmacist) and asked her what kind of medication I should take, he then stopped us at a pharmacy, purchased these medications himself and never asked for reimbursement (although it goes without saying that we gave him a heckuva tip at the end of our trip).
Our route for the day was from Damascus to Aleppo with a stop in Maaloula. I begged Ghassan to just drive us straight passed Maaloula and onwards to Aleppo – all I could think about was how badly I wanted to crawl into bed and just rot away. Luckily for me, Ghassan was not having a bar of this. He was adamant that we must stop in Maaloula and although at the time I was ready to throw him in the bin, ultimately, I am so bloody glad we did – it was absolutely a trip highlight, and even my neon yellow roadside vomits couldn’t ruin it.
So what was so special about the small town of Maaloula?
Well, it is one of the few places I’ve ever been where I’ve had only what I can describe as a religious experience, despite my unwavering atheism. Maaloula is one of two places left in the world where people speak the specific type of Aramaic language that Jesus would have spoken some 2000ish years ago.
We stopped to get some water and for me to pray for the nausea to go away before Ghassan led us into this unassuming but beautiful church. A local woman then indulged us by speaking a prayer in Aramaic and it was… truly something.
The Aramaic language has a beauty that is hard to describe and honestly, I really didn’t think it would move me so much.
I think it was because of the sheer age of the language, the determination of these small communities to keep this ancient tongue alive and again, how truly beautiful it sounds.
From the church we went on a walk (despite my requests for Ghassan to just put me in the car and let me nap) to a long rocky canyon that would lead us to the Saint Sarkis monastery.
Saint Sarkis has been in the headlines during the war. In 2013, twelve of the nuns who lived in this complex were kidnapped by Al-Nusra (an Al-Qaeda linked militia group) and held for three months before eventually being released thanks to Lebanese officials who successfully negotiated on their behalf. Many of these nuns have since returned to the complex and we were lucky enough to meet one of them.
The facades in this complex appear much darker than is usual as the chapel had been set on fire by members of the aforementioned insurgent group during that same year – it is incredible to see how they’ve survived, even if they aren’t exactly as before.
We then visited another site of religious significance – the Convent of Saint Thecla. By this point, I was feeling truly worse for wear – the seemingly never ending stairs + some serious business nausea were not a good combo.
At Saint Thecla we received a really beautiful blessing and the priest tied thin pieces of string around our wrists, ensuring us that if we kept them on we would be kept safe on our travels. I’ve said it before, I am not religious at all, but I must admit, I found this gesture kind and strangely comforting.
After this blessing Ghassan sat me down in the shade and asked the priest to bring me a cup of hot black tea – the kindness and care I was shown here were really something.
After I had drunk enough of the tea and Ghassan deemed me fit to keep moving, we ascended to the shrine of Saint Thecla. This rock grotto is divided into two churches and a sacred spring.
Once we had left the monasteries we met another lovely local who once again indulged us in some stunning Aramaic before we went for a wander through the city walls, meeting numerous locals along the way.
Then it was time to hop back into the car and begin the long drive to Aleppo.
The several hour drive to Aleppo was a somber one. This route takes you through Idlib, which was the site of significant protests and fighting in the early stages of the civil war.
Basically, this particular part of Syria has seen unfathomable violence and war, and evidence of this was everywhere as we drove down the highway. Ruins of buildings seemed endless – this was the part of Syria that I knew I would inevitably see, but the experience of actually seeing it was something altogether different.
I didn’t take any photographs as we passed through this region (the one I have included below is courtesy of my Dad) – it didn’t feel right to me.
We arrived into Aleppo just after sunset, checked into our hotel and promptly fell asleep. It had been a long, beautiful, moving and also deeply sobering day.
The next morning, I awoke feeling oddly okay. Definitely still needed gastro stop, but the nausea had majorly settled and the fevers had abated. In comparison to the previous day, I kinda felt like a million bucks.
We started the day with a walk through the Aleppo public park with Ghassan and our angel of a driver named Emad. It was so green and beautiful and very obviously a spot for locals to congregate and spend time together. It was a really nice place to simply stroll through.
We started our day in the Armenian Quarter (which I cannot find any pictures of, I may have not taken any… blame the sickness) before wandering through the alleyways towards the Aleppo Citadel. As we walked we saw damage everywhere, but we also saw so much ongoing restoration and reconstruction – which did ease the sheer despair of it all.
After a short while we arrived at the citadel – we spent a while walking around the base of it and learning about the history of it. Construction of it dates back at least 5000 years, making it one of the oldest and one of the largest castles in the world.
Unfortunately, the citadel took on major damage during the years of 2012 to 2016 whilst the Battle of Aleppo took place between the Free Syrian Army and the Assad led government army, however it is still in incredible condition.
After we had learned a bit about the history of the citadel and of the Battle of Aleppo, we entered the citadel and immediately headed inside towards something I had been very excited to see – the throne hall.
I mean, just look at the roof – it is glorious!
Before too long, I was approached by a young man who wanted to take some photos for me on my phone for a small fee – it was very sweet and the photos he took were super cute.
I love this next picture of our little tour crew!
After touring the inside parts of the citadel, it was time to go for a wander around the exteriors.
It was honestly such an amazing place to visit – so many gorgeous viewpoints and so much amazing architecture.
After we left the citadel we visited the souk of Aleppo which is notorious for having suffered unbelievable damage during the war. Part of the souk has been beautifully restored and if you didn’t know it had once been in rubble, you wouldn’t have known. However, attached to this renovated section is another that is yet to be restored and the contrast between these is stark – you can see this in the video below.
As we were leaving we had to walk through one of these damaged sections. We came across one lone open shop amidst the ruins. Ghassan quietly whispered to us that the man was silly as he wouldn’t be able to make money with his shop in this section of the souk but that he had reopened in this spot because it was the same site that he had always occupied.
Dad had mentioned wanting to buy a keffiyeh earlier in the trip, so I quickly mentioned to him that he should buy it at this shop. Dad quickly found one he liked, bought it instantly and the man in the shop could not have looked more happy and elated. He profusely shook Dads hand and thanked him over and over.
It was definitely the best souvenir either of us has ever bought.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Syria series where we visit an ancient Crusaders era castle and the ruins of Palmyra.
THE LOWDOWN
Golden Target Tours: This tour company came highly recommended and I can keep those high recommendations coming. Don’t let the lack of a website fool you, the owner Khaldoun is a real pro and responds to any enquiries very quickly and consistently – contact him through whatsapp on +963 944 372 700 to discuss planning a trip through Syria. Make sure to ask for Ghassan and Emad as your crew!
Aleppo Citadel: Make sure to also visit the citadel at night, it is very beautiful and lots of locals congregate here in the evenings
Remember: If you’ve ever wanted to buy souvenirs when travelling, Syria is a fantastic place to do so – you can help to support local business who are re-establishing themselves post the war
What an incredible journey. We visited a monastery near Mardin, Turkey where the services are also held in Aramaic, but we didn’t get a chance to hear it. Maggie
I’m glad that you felt better very quickly, Elle, what was that bug! Such an amazing place, the architecture is very beautiful. 😍 Be well!