City of Wonders

Dr. Shahid Qayyum narrates his memorable visit to Damascus, the City of Wonders

As a rule I have been visiting places by choice but at times it was, I may say, by compulsion. Damascus was one such destination which was never on my ‘hit’ list but I visited it on the invitation of a Syrian friend. Although historically important, the place had never fascinated me. The visa was no problem and I was received at the airport by my friend. We drove straight to his house in central Damascus where he enhanced his credentials like a good host.

Capital of Syria, Damascus’ is its largest city situated on the southern bank of River Barada, It is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to 8000-10000 BC. It was ruined and re-built so often over the centuries that layer after layer of history and ancient civilization lie buried under the modern metropolis and excavations are simply not possible. The old city is surrounded by a fortification wall with eight gates leading into the walled enclave. Down town district has narrow streets and looks different from the modern neighborhoods. Damascus has been ruled by the Romans and Byzantinians in the recorded history and has also been a seat of the Umayyad Empire. The Ottomans ruled it for almost 400 years before it was made a French mandate following the Second World War. The worst period of foreign invasion this historic city ever witnessed was that of Mongol conqueror Timurlunk whose forces massacred the inhabitants, except the artisans, who were lucky to be deported to Samarkand, Timur’s capital in Central Asia. Timur besieged Damascus and put the city to sack. A huge number of Damascenes were slaughtered and human skulls were piled up to erect a minaret. A city square bearing the name Burj al ruus (Tower of heads) was built in memory of the ghastly holocaust.

The Syrian culture and way of living has two sides to it. A certain class of ladies is attired in western dresses while there are others who cover their faces behind the veils. For years I had witnessed my host’s spouse dress up in skirt and blouse and hang around in the balcony smoking cigarettes. Back home in Damascus I did not have a glimpse of hers. The male and female quarters in their ‘not too big’ an apartment were segregated and ladies were confined to the private section of the lodging. The meals were sumptuous and elaborate and we were served with a Syrian delicacy which was quite similar to nargasi koftay that we make in Pakistan.

Umayyad or the Grand mosque is one of the largest in the world and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayers since the rise of Islam. It is a symbol of one of the great periods of proud Muslim civilization and a masterpiece of architectural ingenuity. This site was originally occupied by a ‘temple of god’ which became Temple of Jupiter with the arrival of the Romans and later became St. John’s church under the Byzantine Christians. The construction of this rectangular mosque started in 714 AD and it was burnt by Timur during his barbaric invasion. It was rebuilt later. A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist.

The most memorable thing that I saw in Damascus was the mausoleum of Sultan Salahuddine Eyyubi...(to be continued)