Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
But probably the most significant was the Ugarit Alphabet. A couple of inches long and
engraved on amber coloured stone, it was said to be the first recorded alphabet and is the
most valuable item in the Museum.
There was glassware, jewellery and engraved stoneware. They had also rebuilt the recep-
tion room from the Palace in the Old Town, featuring beautiful woodwork and fine decor-
ative carving. An ancient synagogue had also been reconstructed in exact detail showing
the art frescoes on the walls. By the contents alone this was a major museum.
A couple of us undertook a second and more considered visit to the Museum when we re-
turned to Damascus. By then we had been to Palmyra and seen the tomb towers. In the
museum they had reconstructed an internal section of a tomb tower showing the niches for
the bodies and the carved presentation of the occupant on the stone tablet that sealed the
niche. There is also an additional group statue of the patriarch and his family or followers
occupying a prominent position in the tower.
Amusingly there was a small sign indicating that the basement area where the tower was
located was closed. By this time we had twigged that these 'closures' were often under-
taken on the initiative of the nearest attendant. He quickly steps forward and says he will
grant access to the closed exhibition - on the implied understanding that we would give
him a small tip.
The Damascus Souq was considerably better than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It had more
atmospherics and more locals moving through. It was also very extensive and linked to the
Old Town, which surrounded much of it.
Like all middle-eastern markets there was an extraordinary range of goods and services
available and there was the strolling vendor in traditional clothing, selling tea. He had an
urn on his back and would flip the glasses up in the air as they do in western cocktail
lounges.
There were a couple of small mosques and bath houses tucked away through small door-
ways in various parts of the Souq. If you were not curious they could easily be missed.
In one the men were prostrated praying and in the other they were wrapped in large white
towels and otherwise taking it easy.
One of the many curious elements of these markets is the array of women's clothing, par-
ticularly in the modern western style. These shops were crowded with women in traditional
dress buying modern stylish clothing typical of a Paris fashion boutique. The window dis-
plays in the numerous shops selling underwear, ranged from the sensual to the quite erotic.
