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Damascus

Map of Modern Syria

Damascus lies about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea on a plateau 680 meters above sea-level. It was the seat of the Umayyad Empire. Today it is the capital city of Syria, a country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Cyprus to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north. The modern state of Syria was formerly a French mandate and attained independence in 1946, but can trace its roots to the fourth millennium BC.

Syria consists mostly of arid plateau, although the northwest part of the country bordering the Mediterranean is fairly green. The Northeast of the country "Al Jazira" and the South "Hawran" are important agricultural areas. The Euphrates, Syria's most important river, crosses the country in the east.

Syria has a population of nearly 20 million. The majority are Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims at 74% of the population. Other Muslim groups include Alawites 11%, Druze, Shias and other Muslim sects. There are also various Christian sects constituting 10% of the total population.

Since 1963 the country has been governed by the Baath Party; the head of state since 1970 has been a member of the Assad family. Syria's current President is Bashar al-Assad, son of Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

Aerial View of Downtown Damascus

The old city of Damascus, enclosed by the city walls, lies on the south bank of the river Barada. From the late nineteenth century on, a modern administrative and commercial centre began to spring up to the west of the old city, around the Barada, centred on the area known as al-merjeh or the meadow. Al-Merjeh soon became the name of what was initially the central square of modern Damascus.

Excavations at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city have demonstrated that Damascus has been inhabited as early as 8000 to 10,000 BC. It is due to this that Damascus is considered to be among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, is one of the largest mosques in the world, and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist.

Inside View of the Dome of the Shrine of Seyyida Zaynab

In the south of Damascus, is the shrine of Seyyida Zaynab

. She was the third child of Ali ibn Abi Talib

and Fatima Zahra

. She was named by Prophet Muhammad

after her eldest aunt.

In 680 AD, after the Battle of Karbala, Seyyida Zaynab was taken prisoner by the army of Yazid. She and the other survivors of Kerbala, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus, Yazid's capital, where they were held prisoner. Tradition says that Seyyida Zaynab, already in anguish due to the death of her brother and her sons, was forced to march unveiled. This was an extreme indignity to inflict on a high-ranking Muslim woman, the granddaughter of the Prophet

.

It is in the vicinity of the shrine of this great lady, that the Islamic Institute for Postgraduate Studies has been located. Seyyida Zaynab

conveyed the message of Karbala’s tragedy to the world and today it is a great honor for us to follow this great lady as an example in our lives.

Health

The Government of Syria does not require International Vaccination Certificates unless passengers are arriving from countries with epidemic diseases.

In spite of the relatively good sanitary conditions in Syria, health precautions must be taken against endemic diseases such as typhoid, paratyphoid and amoebic and ancillary dysentery. There is a normal incidence of children's diseases, such as measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc. Only those who will work or visit the Al-Hasakeh area of northeast Syria need to take precautions against malaria.

Various forms of diarrhea are prevalent, but are usually cured in a short time. However, this can be avoided by careful washing of raw fruits and uncooked vegetables with soap and water, or in a solution of potassium permanganate. Care should be taken in selection of restaurants.

General hospital facilities and doctors are available in both large towns and rural areas. Recommendable hospitals in Damascus are the Al-Shami Hospital and Dar Al-Shifaa. However, there are other good hospitals such as Medical Care Center, Italian Hospital, Al-Razi, Al-Atfal, Al-Assadi and the French Hospital.

The UN medical physician in Damascus is Dr. Hashem Daadoush, Tel. 33387421. His clinic provides first aid for emergency cases 24 hours.

While the quality of medicines manufactured locally is good, foreign made medicines are not so widely available, but can be obtained in Lebanon and Jordan.

Food

Syrian cuisine is delicious, well seasoned and very Mediterranean in style.

Syria is an Islamic country, so pork is not available. Meals consist primarily of rice, chicken and lamb, with many types of condiments, fresh and preserved fruit, fresh vegetables and a tasty flat, low-yeast bread. Almost every meal begins with mezze, a large selection of hors d'oeuvres that can be a meal in themselves. Examples include hummus (chickpea paste seasoned with garlic and lemon juice), baba ghanouj (eggplant and sesame paste) and mouhammara (red pepper and walnut dip).

Syrian sweets are excellent. The strong Arabic coffee is often laced with cardamom. Juice bars are very common and offer a good opportunity to try exotic juices, such as pomegranate.

Food and Restaurants

Many good quality fresh food items are available in the country (fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, etc.). These can be bought in many street markets and specialized shops in all large cities in Syria.
There are many small supermarkets selling a wide range of canned food items and other processed food. Shoppers will also find Syrian made soft drinks and soda water. Residents can also purchase certain food items (e.g. candy and
chocolates) in the duty free shops at the airport and in the Lebanon and Jordan
border crossings.

There are many good bakeries and pastry shops in Damascus.

Damascus is well served by restaurants and cafes. Most establishments specialize in traditional Syrian cuisine and cater for local tastes. These include:

Restaurant Name	Telephone
Al-Kamal	2323572
Old Damascus	2229662
Zanoubia	2220575
Omayad Palace	2220826
Sedeek	2234417

There are also restaurants specializing in international cuisines including Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese and Russian. The following restaurants serve a mixture of international food:

Restaurant Name	Telephone
Gemini	3337095
Station I	3334575
Orient Club	2213636
Chaumiere	3338883
Lotus	3333806
Nobel Palace	2246164
Laterna	2323185
Old Town	5428088
Fontana	6114020

Shopping and Markets

Damascus Souk

Damascus is well served with a variety of shops and shopping areas selling a vast range of locally made (and some imported) products. These include men, women and children's clothing, shoeware, optical and glassware, fabrics, houseware (home appliances, kitchen products, linen etc), home fixtures & hardware shops, furniture shops, music and music equipment / instruments and so on. Some international brands now operate in the country and manufacture clothes under license (such as Benetton, Naf Naf, Kickers, Stephanel and MG).
Clothes can also be made to order as there are many skilled tailors and dressmakers. Shopping areas are located in many parts of the city.

An important shopping area is the Damascus souq. The souq is very well known in the Arab region and is one of the largest and most original ones. The souq houses specialized shops selling clothing, household goods, material, tools and hardware, kitchenware, appliances, wood products, food products, furniture and so on. In addition, many shops sell Middle Eastern artefacts and handicrafts, including leather, copperware, mother-of-pearl inlaid wood, brocade, wood carvings, embroidered tablecloths, straw goods, silks, Oriental carpets, antique (and new) jewellery, brassware, caftans, handblown glass, olive-oil soap, calligraphy, water pipes, mosaics, leather, silver, opal jewellery and inlaid wooden backgammon sets.

Expatriates can also find some imported food products and goods in the local supermarkets and shops. The duty free shops at the airport and Jordanian and Lebanese borders sell a range of products (appliances, clothing, perfumes, jewellery etc). Some duty restrictions might apply in the purchases of selected products (such as electrical appliances).

Things To Do

Palmyra

Syria has a rich and long history, represented in important cultural assets (such as museums) and archaeological sites, that are well worth visiting. Many sites are in and near Damascus and can be visited on day trips. More information can be found on the Ministry of Tourism of Syria web site http://www.syriatourism.org

Treasury House Palace

Syria offers ample activities for people interested in hiking. There are no organised facilities for hikers, but there is plenty of appealing terrain.
Possibilities include walking between Syria's Crusader castles or hiking the mountainous strip of land between Lebanon and Turkey.

Many hotels in the city sell summer memberships passes to residents that give access to outdoor swimming pools and shallow pools for children. Some hotels and other establishments have tennis courts and health clubs. There is one golf course in Damascus (Ebla Cham - within one kilometer of the IIPS Campus) and there are a few private gyms.

The Syrian Hippic Federation has horses for hire and sale and offers riding lessons. The Hippic Club also organizes horse shows from time to time.

The proximity to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey makes travelling to these countries very straightforward.

Travelling in Syria

The following airlines have direct flights from major European cities to Damascus: Austrian, British Airways, Air France, Aeroflot, Alitalia, KLM, Cyprus, Balkan, Malev, Polish and Turkish.

Regional companies including Syrian Arab Airlines, Middle East, Kuwait, Saudi Airline, Air Algerie, Yemenia, Tunis Air also have regular flights to and from countries in the region.

There are some limited sea travel passenger services from the port of Lattakia (300 km from Damascus).

Within the country, taxis and buses are the most common forms of transportation.
Most (if not all) taxis are metered, with fares set by the government. There are also shared taxis that cover specific routes. There are two types of public buses connecting towns: Karnak buses, which are more comfortable and require reservations one-day in advance, and microbuses, which serve the smaller towns, have no timetables and generally leave when they are full.

There are two intercity bus stations in Damascus - one for the northern part of the country and one for the south. Rental cars are readily available, although renters should bear in mind that road signs are infrequent and mostly in Arabic.

International driver's licenses are required.

Expatriate residents can obtain a local driver license upon arrival and submission of a medical exam.

Official Holidays

New Year's Day	1 January
Eid Al Adha	22 February*
Revolution Day	8 March
Hijra New Year	14 March*
Mother's Day	21 March
Easter Sunday (Catholic)	31 March
Evacuation Day (Independence Day)	17 April
Labour's Day	1 May
Easter Sunday (Orthodox)	5 May
Martyrs' Day	6 May
Prophet's Birthday	23 May*
October War	6 October
Eid-Al-Fitr	5 December*
Christmas Day	25 December

*Dates change according to the lunar phase

Schooling

The following schools offer curricula and programs comparable to international standards.

Damascus Community School: This is a private educational institution, which offers an American education programme from kindergarten through to 12th grade for children of all nationalities. All teachers are US certificated teachers. Extra-curricula facilities include 2 computer labs, 2 science labs, a sport building, an auditorium/cafeteria, a tennis court, a basketball court, soccer field and two toy play areas. Tuition fees for all foreign students are payable in US dollars.

Ecole Francaise de Damas: In this school, the French educational programme, as endorsed by the National Ministry of Education in France is used. Classes are available from kindergarten through to 12th grade. Arabic language is optional as of 4th grade.

Russian Community School: This school offers primary classes for boys and girls. All schooling is in Russian.

Pakistan International School: This is a private educational institution, which teaches a syllabus according to the systems followed in the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Singapore for classes from kindergarten through to 13th grade. This school also offers extra curricula facilities, i.e. computer classes, library, science lab and sports activities.

International School of Aleppo: This is a private educational institution which offers an American education programme from kindergarten through to grade 12. The School Management Committee is appointed by the Director-General of ICARDA.

Al-Shweifat School: This is a new school that follows the American educational system.

Most of the schools provide transportation, except for Damascus Community School where this must be arranged by parents. All school fees are payable in foreign currency.

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