In the old city of Damascus, a recent insult that must rankle

Damascus’s old city is truly one of the gems of the region. I was recently there for a holiday and was surprised at the number of tourists visiting a country for which it is extremely difficult to get a visa.

Have the Syrians seen the value in tourist dollars? Are they opening up to the world or was the large number of tourists just a blip?

It is difficult to tell but either way I hope they do everything possible to revive and preserve their old city, a wonder of tiny streets and neighbourhoods encircled by 13th century walls. The Hamidiyya souk is a maze of shops carrying spices, gold, silk cloth, and the famous Damascene inlaid furniture. The Ummayed mosque, which was once a temple dedicated to Jupiter, then consecrated as a church and later a mosque when Syria was conquered by the Muslims, is a testament to faith and culture. Inside is a shrine to John the Baptist, who is honoured as a Prophet by Muslims and Christians alike.

Several old villas have been restored as restaurants, the (seriously overpriced) boutique hotels are showcases for elegant, Arab architecture and furnishings. But the best part is that none of the old city feels like a tourist trap in the way Montmartre in Paris does, partly because the Syrian shopkeepers and their families have lived there for generations.

I was in danger of losing myself to the romance of the city when my companion reminded me, tongue-in-cheek, that we were inside President George Bush’s axis of evil. When you live in one of the oldest and most sophisticated cities in the world that taunt must rankle more than a little.

The Syrians see themselves as a guardian of Arab culture and language. Let us hope that under the incoming American administration cheap labels are banished.


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You can tell how civic-minded a society is by watching the interaction between drivers on the road. According to this measure, I am afraid to say there is not much sense of civic responsibility in Abu Dhabi.

Consider this. If you were waiting in a queue at the cinema, would you cut in front of the person ahead of you because you were wearing more expensive clothes than them and therefore felt superior? Or can you imagine rudely gesticulating or swearing at someone because they weren’t moving their trolley fast enough through the cereal aisle in a supermarket?

I am sure there will be very few people here who have done all of the above, but as a general rule you don’t see much in the way of anti-social behaviour in the shops and malls of Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately, it’s a different story as soon as people get behind the wheels of their cars. The feeling of insulation they experience makes drivers think they can get away with the kind of outrageous behaviour that they would never dare to try if they weren’t surrounded by metal and glass. We have all seen motorists honk horns aggressively or watched the driver of a Mercedes bully a taxi driver into giving way.

Last year, during a visit to Toronto, the car I was in became stuck in traffic for ages because the traffic lights at a major intersection had broken. The police had not yet arrived to direct traffic but drivers had found their own solution: instead of trying to force their way across the intersection, they were taking it in turns to give way to the car on the right. Result? Not gridlock but slow progress.

Canada’s motto of peace, order and good government may not be as exciting as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – but as a code for drivers, it’s hard to beat.

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Arab leaders rarely agree on anything – not helped by the fact that Middle Eastern states are governed by a range of ideologies from the lukewarm socialism of Egypt to the strict theocracy of Saudi Arabia. You don’t see the same extent of differences in the West where nearly everyone has moved towards a liberal, capitalist model.

Different value systems influence what a society agrees is an appropriate role for women. So it will be interesting to see the discussions at the Arab Women Organisation’s conference which begins today.

A conservative Qatari housewife who covers her face may not agree with her secular Lebanese sister about the role a woman should play in public life but at least there is a general agreement that unless Arab women are literate, healthy and feel safe in their communities, the region will continue to languish. At least that is a start.

hghafour@thenational.ae