Reminiscence from the Levant: Part One- Reaching Aleppo

Syria meant two things to me…. two opposite things. Logically, only one could have been true.

The one that I was led to believe by the western media… of a nation seeped into the most virulent form of xeno-phobia, conspiring with the axes of evil to revenge its perceived victimization by the powers to be. Two, that was shown to me by people like Inas Hafez, my Arabic teacher for the second semester in American University in Cairo… image of a country that is beautiful, welcoming… full of people who are friendly, loving and full of kindness.

When I took the plane to Syria (Aleppo, to be precise)… I was both… full of excitement and apprehension. I was going to a country that was absolutely new to me… without any acquaintance… moreover, I was leaving behind the most priced possession of my life… my family… and therefore I was to a large extent, feeling guilty, too.

On the flight, I was sandwiched by a Korean and a Syrian old man. Most of the passengers were more fair complexioned that an average Egyptian, so I assume many of them were Syrians (or with Syrian genes).

The Korean was a business man who was going to Syria for the very first time and did not have a visa… he was expecting a visa on arrival and from whatever he must have heard about the Syrian authorities, he had many a reasons to be worried. He checked with me if I had a visa for Syria (to find a possible companion in distress). To his disappointment , I answered in affirmation.

The old man on the window seat was a Syrian, whose daughter and son-in-law were settled in Cairo… and he was returning from his yearly visit to them. He seemed to be a jovial fellow…with a huge liking for good food… ate two plates of in-flight dinner served to him… drank four large glasses of coke and wondered as to why I am not having my in-flight dinner . When finished with his dinner… he eagerly waited for someone to remove the plates from his table, so that he could take his nap… and as if to make his point very clear… he held all his used plates and glasses on his head… forcing one of the flight attendant to quickly come and remove the wares. However, this created a current of amusement in the flight… with lots of laughs and cat-calls.

The attendant who came to remove the plates was named Rasha, a very pretty girl…probably in her late twenties… she had beautiful eyes and was beaming with joy…. Later the captain announced that Rasha has got engaged a day before…. A deluge of congratulatory messages poured in. Marriages and related events in Egypt are not only familial events; they are to a large extent… social and communal events. I have often seen how kids and adults alike are excited by the mere sight of an Areesa (the bride), decked in white gown and donning a more than liberal coat of make-up. I have often seen how my taxi drivers will honk their horns in unison with the honking car that would drive around the just married couple, to show his pleasure for the marriage… Egyptian marriage entail a lot of procedural and social obstacles… which are driving the average marriage age of youth, well past late 30s and therefore marriage is one of the happiest and eagerly awaited moments.

I could not suppress my habit of looking outside the window… despite being off the window seat… this caused some discomfort for the old Syrian man… after a while he offered me to seat in the window seat.

After leaving Cairo, one can easily see the yellow hue of the desert shrinking and being supplanted by a green hue of the Nile Delta. Nile Delta is perhaps one of the most fertile areas in the entire world. Seeing the Nile Delta from atop and having its bird eye view is indeed one of the most beautiful sights. What follows thereafter is a huge expanse of vast blue sea... and thereafter the Syrian and Lebanese mainland... full of hills and verdant greenery... and it is a beautiful sight, indeed.

From atop, Aleppo seems to be a small town…with few towering building… most of the houses are single storeyed and sparsely located… giving an impression of a laid back town. Aleppo airport hardly sees any international traffic and yet the facilities are of acceptable standard… the very first bill board I encountered when I was walking towards the airport building was a huge picture of Bashar Al Asad, the Syrian president… pointing his finger towards something, as if to make his point clear… and underneath written… Welcome to Syria the land of Culture and Faith.

The Korean man, incidentally got his visa cleared in less than half hour… he bid a good bye to me… he was very much relieved. However, upon showing my passport and uttering a few words in Arabic (cardinal error, which led to a half an hour questioning by Syrian authorities)… I was ushered into a room where an officer who knew English was seated… his room was plush, and therefore I assume that he was an important person.

He was flustered by the fact that being an Indian, I was speaking Arabic… and that despite being a non-resident, I have chosen to come to Aleppo (as most of the international tourist choose to land at Damascus, and isn't it the more logical thing to do!). What followed was a half hour of questions and answers…. Why I am in Syria, Why didn't I land in Damascus, Why I chose Aleppo, Why am I speaking Arabic, What are the places I plan to visit, What are my hotels, What is my programme, Why am I traveling alone when I seem to be old enough to be married. Huh!!! But never did he seem to be intimidating… in fact he also offered me a cup of tea… after a while, when he was convinced that I was an ordinary Joe… seeking newer vistas… he let me in… and welcomed me to Syria… this was my first and the last not so good experience in this most hospitable country.