The Spring in Syria

It wasn't spring but winter when we were in Syria end of 2008 - when the country was seemingly peaceful.. unfortunately we didn't see much of the country as we were just passing through. At the time, the hubby was working in Tehran and we took the opportunity to travel overland to Egypt to visit Adik. It was certainly an adventure of a lifetime (at least for us). We (hubby, daughter and I) actually travelled by bus from Tehran to Damascus, a journey which took two days, going through part of Turkey (avoiding troubled Iraq at the time). Apparently, the Shia people of Iran make regular pilgrimages to Damascus to visit shrines of their faith (I'm sorry but I don't consider them to be Muslims.. ). All of the passengers  in the bus were making their journey there and we were the only non-Iranians (our co-passengers were nice, though undisputedly, misled people). From Damascus, we travelled to Amman, Jordan, then to the port of Aqaba. There, we sailed on a ferry to the port of Nuweiba in Egypt. And from Nuweiba, a half-day journey to Cairo... Below are a few pictures of the places we passed through in Syria:

Can't exactly remember where this is (just ignore the horribly misleading date at the bottom - 2218? honestly!)

The daughter posing in front of a building - probably in Aleppo

Taken at the hotel where we stayed for the night in Damascus (eerie sort of place..)

On a street in Damascus (it wasn't Jan 2007 but Dec 2008 - crazy camera)

Anyway, what I'd like to highlight here is what is happening in Syria these days. Since what had happened to Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, (Arab Spring..) Syria is still in a turmoil and that's putting it mildly.. Hundreds of people are being slain; men, women and children and the one responsible is their own country's leader, Bashar Al-Assad. He is just like his father before him, Hafez Al-Assad, who was as many may recall, responsible for the massacre at Sabra and Shatilla way back in the 80s (I remembered as students in the UK, we hit the streets in London to protest against the atrocities). What kind of a leader who would do this kind of crimes to his own people? I have no doubt in my mind that his fate will be similar to that of Gaddafi, InsyAllah! In the meantime, I'd like to ask everyone who reads this to make a special prayer for the people of Syria: May 'Spring' comes early to their country this year.. my heart goes to you my brothers and sisters!

Here's a video of the pledge the people made (gives me goose pimples every-time)

And here's a lovely song in support for the revolution: