Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Umayyad Mosque is one of the most holy sites in Islam and thus the pilgrims released
lots of emotions there. Christians and Muslims believe that the head of John the Baptist
lies buried there, and there had been an earlier church to John the Baptist on this very site.
Both Sunni and Shia worship there and it is one of the holiest sites of Islam.
We saw many different kinds of reaction by pilgrims to their holy site; on the one hand,
there was much grieving and weeping from the Shia pilgrims from Iran. This took place
as the Ayatollah read out prayers or recited the tragic fate of Hussein, which was central
to their religion. Other pilgrims from India and Pakistan pounded and beat their chests as
they cried out the name of “Hussain, Hussain, Hussain” louder and louder, faster and faster
as they beat their breasts harder and harder with staring eyes and emotions drawn from a
different source.
That evening, we visited the vast souq of Damascus. It was the biggest and liveliest I had
ever seen and then we went out for a final meal in one of the beautiful courtyard restaurants
of Damascus with fabulous surroundings, décor and food.
As a final touch, we went to the tourist site of Mount Qassion on a hill overlooking Damas-
cus. It was a beautiful balmy evening and we relaxed as we viewed the city from the very
