Read More. Policy in Favor of Palestine? View Results. He preferred to wait instead for the heavenly Paradise. In the past two decades, I had traveled a number of times to this venerable city and visited many of its countless historic sites. However, I had never savored to the utmost at centuries old streets where Aramaeans, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines once trod, nor tested the legendary hospitality of its inhabitants β descendants of the 7th century conquering Arabs who had made Damascus the capital of a world empire.
This time I wanted to feel the pulse of the domestic scenes and see for a while the world through their eyes. We made our way slowly examining the endless shops displaying their superb artisan products for which the city is famous.
I felt elated and content for I was being guided by a knowledgeable Damascene whose forefathers had lived in this ancient metropolis since time immemorial.
He was an ideal companion for my plans to explore the remains of the old section of the city. Syria is the land of live and let live. There had been persecutions, but nothing when one considers how minorities, in the past, had been totally eliminated in many European lands.
Handicrafts of all kinds, bright machine-made fabrics, carpets, clothing, gold jewelry, elaborate Damascene tablecloths and everything else needed by the householder were displayed in an attractive fashion. All goods, accept artisan products, were marked with very reasonable government-controlled prices. When, at times, we stopped to bargain for a piece of handicraft, the marked prices would come down to less than half.
