Revolution's in the Air

Autocratic rulers have been overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt, political protests continue in countries including Libya, Morocco, Djibouti, Algeria, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Yemen, while independent political parties are currently attempting to form in Saudi Arabia. Throughout major parts of the Middle East and North Africa we are seeing the age-old struggle of countries attempting to break free from the chains of tyranny in the name of increased economic equality, freedom of speech, fair and equitable governance, and other basic human liberties.

Christmas in Dubai 2010

UAE 39th National Foaming Day

Last Thursday was the 39th National Day here in the UAE, the celebration of the seven Emirates joining together to form the United Arab Emirates. Each year this celebration gets more intense here in Abu Dhabi. Buildings and vehicles are decorated, there are concerts and street performers, and the past few years foam spraying as well. This used to involve young Emirati boys chasing one another on the street trying to foam one another. Each year, however, more people are getting in on the action and this year it was not only Emirati boys doing the foaming but also Emirati girls, laborers (Pakistanis, Indians, Afghanis, etc.) and Western expats and tourists as well. If you want to venture out on this nite you must expect there's a good chance you'll get foamed at least once -- and possibly many times -- and if you dislike the idea of getting foamed then it's best to stay far away from the main celebration areas.

Syria on the Mediterranean

Syria has about 100 miles of coastline on the Mediterranean and Latakia is its biggest port town. It's close to Cyprus and I've heard there is ferry service connecting the two places. It seems, however, that Latakia has a need for better city planning. Someone had the bright idea of building the port directly in front of the town. What this means is that unlike Alexandria, Egypt, and Beirut and Tripoli in Lebanon, Latakia has no corniche (boardwalk) along the Mediterranean where people can stroll or enjoy seaside outdoor cafes. In any case, while Palmyra is Syria's famous city of ruins, Hama the town of wooden water wheels, and Aleppo the city of ancient bazaars, Latakia is the most urbane and "outward looking" of Syria's towns, and its fashion center.

Aleppo

Whenever I stop in at a cyber cafe in Syria to work on this blog I keep expecting the workers to tell me I'm not allowed on the Blogspot site because it's censored. Instead it's always the same. Just mention Facebook, or Blogspot, or whatever and they'll access the blocked site within minutes. From Hama I took a train north to Aleppo (Halab in Arabic) near the Turkish border. Like Damascus, Aleppo is very old, and the two cities vie for the title of "the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world." In his book In the Steps of Saint Paul, HV Morton wrote of Aleppo, "No Eastern city has impressed me with a greater sense of its mystery. To drift with the crowds in the bazaars, those vaulted avenues cool and dim as cathedral naves, is to enter another world ..." Aleppo used to be a part of the Silk Road that linked China to the Middle East and Europe, and today it's a good jumping off point for traveling by train to either Turkey (and then on to Europe if you like) or to Iran.

The Norias of Hama

Various places around the world have their famous landmarks. Cairo has its pyramids, New York City the Empire State Building, and Paris the Eiffel Tower. Here in the city of Hama in central Syria it's the norias that tourists come to see (and hear). These huge wooden water wheels, as large as 60 feet in diameter, have been used in Hama for centuries to scoop water from the Orontes River and dump it into aqueducts which channel it to gardens and crop fields. There used to be thirty norias along the river but only seventeen are left. These huge wooden wheels are surprisingly noisy due to the friction as they turn, and you can hear the loud groaning and creaking as you walk along the Orontes River in Hama.

Central Syria

The bus ride from Palmyra to Homs in central Syria wasn't too bad, until for some reason the other passengers in the rear of the bus where I was sitting decided they didn't like the breeze and closed up all the windows. It quickly became so hot and stuffy that I couldn't wait to arrive at Homs so I could get off the bus and get some fresh air. I can remember this same thing happening on buses in Turkey, except passengers would be smoking, which would add to the hot, airless feeling inside the bus. Homs is one of those towns not recommended by guide books that I like to visit for no particular purpose other than to simply wander around, relax in the parks, drink tea at the outdoor cafes, and basically just get a sense of the day to day life in the town. In 1959, Seyrig, the French historian, wrote of Homs, "The history of Emera [Homs] amounts to no more than a long career of obscurity from the middle of which emerges three centuries of remarkable opulence." And my Lonely Planet guide has this to say about the city: "There's little of interest in Homs, although it does have an interesting old souq and an agreeable atmosphere." That's true enough. The old market is well worth a couple of visits, and overall Homs is a pleasant place to explore for a couple of days.