Words
- by Roberto Rocha
- published from Syria
- on 2011.01.30
Our best photos from Syria
If Syria is a rogue nation of terror crusaders, then I want to be one, too. In none of my travels have I seen such massive mismatch between a nation’s character and how the Western media portrays it.
Syria is a nation of kindness. Hospitality is a sacred duty. If a visitor does not feel welcome, it’s seen as a collective failure. It’s impossible to feel lost, confused, or ignored in Syria; a willing helper is always the closest person.
And Syrians like everyone. Unlike many in the West, they know how to separate politics from personal. As people who have lived under repressive regimes themselves, they know that governments doesn’t always represent their people.
Here is a selection of our best photos from the country. Click on “Show info” to read the captions.
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Comments
Que diversidade maravilhosa. Só não entendi o que estaria a Amy winehouse fazendo por aqueles lados….
Roberto,
These photos are fantastic! I’ve wanted to travel around the Middle East for a while now.
What you said about Syria reminds me of how I feel about Burma (a.k.a Myanmar). Terrible government, amazingly hospitable people, perfectly preserved culture, and mind-blowing architecture. I’ll have to go to Syria someday.
One of my favorite things to do is to take photos of people as they’re cooking and buying food. Those shots really put me “into the culture.”
I’m curious, is it easy to get around with just using English? One idea I had was to study some Arabic in Jordan, then travel around after.
Keep up the great work!
Marcus
Marcus, thank you for the encouraging words. So glad you liked our photos.
Arabic definitely helps in Syria, but you can get by with English. A lot of young people speak it, and it’s prevalent in most tourist attractions. My advice: learn some basic phrases and also the alphabet so you can read bus signs, menus, etc. An audiobook like Pimsleur will get you started.
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