New Hope

New year. New hope.

No poverty. No unemployment. No corruption. No prisons. No injustice. No intervention from outside. No micro-buses. No pollution. No immigration. No loss of national pride.

No occupied land. No besieged people. No killings. No refugees. No uprooting of olive trees. No burning of palm trees. No lies. No brainwashing. No threats from superpowers. No superpowers.

No Arab disputes. No visas. No long lines on borders. No borders. No blind nationalism. No cultural invasion. No English replacing Arabic. No cheap culture. No Haifaa. No Ruby. No immorality. No religious intolerance. No religious fanaticism. No bashing of Islam.

No Tsunamis.

No 2004 again. Have a Happy New Year.

Snowing Peace

Missing this Christmas:

1. Arabic Christmas carols by the wonderful Fairouz, especially Laylet Eid (Christmas Night- the Arabic version of "Jingle Bells") and Najmet al Eid (Star of Christmas- the Arabic version of "Angels We Have Heard on High"):

Ya sama tetloj ash'aar oo salaam
"Oh the sky is snowing poems and peace!"

2. Walking/driving around the beautifully decorated Al-Qassaa' neighbourhood while people walk to the churches for the midnight mass.

* Picture: Al-Zaitoun (Olive) Church, one of the oldest in Damascus.

Not Home

Away from Damascus. Already feeling homesick. No blogging for a while.

Revolution Street

Thawra (Revolution) Street is that pollution-stricken street in downtown Damascus, with a ceramic-walled tunnel and dull concrete buildings, the ugliest being a beige 19-storey tower. It is named after the "March Revolution," the coup that brought Baath Party to power in 1963.

Going West

Many Syrians spent their Eid vacation in Lebanon. Beirut, only 90 km west of Damascus, is a favorite destination for Damascenes. In the picture, Syrian taxi cars are waiting to cross the Lebanese border.

Until Then

Egyptian poet Ahmad Shawqi (1868-1932), known in the Arab World as the 'Prince of Poets,' wrote:

My homeland, I pity you when comes Eid festivity
And I cry, passionately and remorsefully

I will have no Eid until I see you
A nation that is glorious and morally superior

New Tradition

Palm trees in 'Adnan al-Malki street are decorated with lights as Damascus prepares to celebrate Eid el-Fitr which starts tomorrow.

Christmas-like decorations for Ramadan and Eid are the latest trend in Damascus. The new tradition is spreading rapidly as more people decorate their windows and balconies with strings of light bulbs and colourful illuminating stars and crescents.

Street Talk

In Syria, Arafat was considered a traitor when he signed peace accords with Israel in 1993, but he gained some sympathy after he became an enemy of Israel again and was besieged by the Israelis in his headquarters in Ramallah almost three years ago. However, the fact that Israel and the US wanted to get rid of him, the extent of Palestinian grief, and the TV biographies that reminded us of his previous image as a young guerilla leader who won the hearts of Arabs during the late 1960s and 1970s, all this made most people here watch his funeral in sorrow. I feel sorry he died before seeing an independent Palestine.

No moon sighted tonight. One more day of fasting.

Flooded Street

It rained for no more than 30 minutes on November 9, but heavily enough to flood some Damascus streets.

Thousand Months

"We have indeed revealed this message in the Night of Power. And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the spirit by God's permission, on every errand: Peace! This until the rise of morn." The Quran (97:1-5)

Damascus mosques are full of worshippers who will spend the whole night praying till the early morning hours. Laylat al-Qadr, or Night of Power, is the holiest night of the holiest month. On Laylat al-Qadr, the Quran was revealed to Mohammad (PBUH). For Muslims, it is a time when the gates of heaven are open and prayers are all answered. Blessed be your night.

* Picture was taken inside the Omayyad Mosque; on the left is the shrine of Prophet Yahia (St. John the Baptist).

Haircut Bliss

I don't think I can find a precise translation of the Arabic word na'iman. It is what you say to someone after he/she had a new haircut, a shower or a bath. I don't actually think that other languages have special expressions to greet people coming out of the barbershop or the bathroom! Anyway... Na'im in Arabic is comfort or bliss, but the expression na'iman probably means something like "may it be a bliss for you". The response (of the one with the new haircut) would be: "Allah yen'am 'alek" - "May God bestow bliss upon you".

Two Offers

Two offers from downtown Damascus:

"Magnifying medical glasses for reading and writing, different measures, original rassors and joints, with a free leather glasses bag and a cleaning tissue. Only for 100 Syrian Pounds."

"Telephone with caller ID, time display, key, and other features, plus a free phone plug: 425 Syrian Pounds."

Latest currency quotes

Heavenly Light

"While Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, he was knocked off his horse, struck blind by a heavenly light"

Here goes the whole story: Paul, whose original name was Saul, was sent by the Jews of Palestine to hunt for Christians in Damascus and bring them back to prison in Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus, he was struck by that heavenly light which left him blind. He then heard the voice of Jesus asking him why he was going to prosecute his followers. Saul managed to get to Damascus with the help of his companions. After three days, a Damascene believer called Ananias, had a vision in which the Lord told him to go to a house in the Street Called Straight (today's Souk Medhat Pasha) to meet a man called Saul. Ananias went there, laid his hands on Saul and his sight was restored. Saul converted to Christianity and began to preach in the synagogues of Damascus. Jews plotted to kill him, but he was smuggled safely out of Damascus in a basket that was lowered from above the city walls (at the site of today's Bab Kisan). Saul later carried the name Paul and traveled to Europe to spread Christianity there.

The illustration above is displayed in the House of Ananias, which today hosts a small chapel.

Sweet Threads

... A little girl would return to her home happy, in her hand a plate of Jaradiq, "oh, transperant bread, blown by the wind," delicacies of Ramadan, sprinkled and decorated with threads of molasses so they would taste delicious when crushed between the teeth...

From "Daughter of Damascus" by Siham Teregman

Fifty Percent

"President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday issued the Law No. 43 for the year 2004 which provides for paying a one-time grant of 50% of the fixed salaries and wages to the public employees and military soldiers and officers working in the state ministries, administrations, institutions, public facilities and companies..." - SANA, November 4

"...Market activity in Ramadan has slowed down compared with previous years due to economic difficulties and rising prices of food and other basic commodities. "In the past two years the market was mostly stagnant during Ramadan, although the prices did not increase a lot and meals for fasters remain quiet affordable," said fruit and vegetable vendor Khaled Safra. He said in the past his sales used to double during Ramadan, but that was no longer the case. Average citizens and limited-income earners complain that prices of food have increased by 15 to 25 percent during Ramadan this year, eating up their purchase power. "Basic food commodities such as fruits and vegetables increased by 15 percent, whereas the prices of eggs and chicken hiked by 20 percent," complained 43-year-old Abu Anwar, a taxi driver (...) "Family expenses double during Ramadan because special care is given to the fast-breaking meals which are more varied and generous than usual, and this adds financial burdens on limited income earners," Abu Anwar added..." - UPI, October 23