Relaxing in the mosque — 2 years ago
The first city in the Arab world I visited, and it was love at first sight. A dynamic city with friendly people, lots of thnigs to see, and chaotic traffic (crossing the street is an art which we came to call “method Damascus”: start walking, slowly, and the cars will go around you!).
Near the souk, with its high vaulted streets, is the Umayadd Mosque, where there’s a wonderful relaxed atmosphere. The inner plaza is very big, beautiful with lots of marble, and at various places people sit around, resting and enjoying the place. Inside the prayer hall this continues. Everyone mixes (no strict separation between men and women here, families sit together). Near the shrine of Prophet Yahia (St. John the Baptist) a group of women sit together, listening to what a mullah is telling them. A woman walks round and hands out sugared almonds (delicious!); some people try to chat with us. We end up staying here a long time, a wonderful experience.
We have seen many other things in Damascus, but this was undoubtedly the best experience.
