Christian Syria

Although Christianity began in Palestine, it was first taken to Syria and from there it spread throughout the world.

The ancient language of Jesus, Aramaic, was the main language spoken for 1,000 years in Syria beginning in the 5th century BC, and is still vital in some areas of the country today. It was here, in the Holy Land that hundreds of churches were built, although now Christian Arabs comprise less than 10 percent of the population of Syria.

We take a day trip to a Christian area, about an hour’s drive out of Damascus. The first stop is the Greek Orthodox convent, Our Lady of Saydnaya, a place considered by Christians only second in importance to Jerusalem. In contrast to its dramatic presence set high on a cliff above the village, both the convent and chapel are modestly decorated and evoke a feeling of peace. Here, I see more Muslim than Christian pilgrims praying in front of the icon, an image of the Virgin Mary that is said to have been painted by St. Luke and has drawn people to the site for healing and fertility for the past 1,500 years . 

Then onto Maalula, the Greek Catholic Convent of St Thecla, said to be a student of St. Paul. A miracle occurred when Thecla, a young Christian woman trapped against a cliff with no exit, was about to be killed because of her religion. Suddenly, the cliff opened up and she was able to flee to safety. Once again, I observe both Christian and Muslim pilgrims paying homage to the saint here. We follow St Thecla’s escape path through a narrow passageway with towering rock walls. It terminates onto to an area where the Byzantine monastery of St Sergius overlooks the small village as well as the Thecla convent below. I feel as though I have literally stepped back into Biblical times when a young woman recites the Lords prayer in Aramaic at the end of our chapel tour.

Hama and Crusader Castle, Kraq de Chavaliers

We drive to the town of Hama, picturesque with its huge creaking wooden water wheels that lift river water 40 feet up to ancient stone aqueducts. A trip out into the country takes us to a massive Crusader Castle, Kraq de Chavaliers, which dominates the landscape. Starting in The European Christian Crusaders, predominately French, struggled for the Holy Land against Muslims of the east for over 200 years by building and fortifying themselves in dozens of citadels on Syrian hilltops and mountains. The Kraq, the largest of these fortresses that I have explored, is surrounded by a moat between double walls that kept it impregnable. I feel small walking on this powerful macho turf that was built 800 years ago to hold a garrison of 2000 and all their horses. We are told that rocks were catapulted and hot oil poured over the walls on enemies. Yikes!

The Silk Road: Aleppo

Gliding along the tracks of a shiny new train, we head for Aleppo, a city that vies with Damascus for being the oldest inhabited city in the world. Situated on the legendary Silk Road, this town was Syria’s northern port in the desert for traders coming between China and Istanbul. Shopping in the dimly lit bazaar (souk) where shafts of light penetrate through holes in a curved cavernous ceiling, merchants sell everything from gold and silver jewelry to 3-foot high water pipes (narjilehs), pungent spices to perfumes, and children’s clothing to women’s sexy under garments.  I observe women in black robes lingering in front of a shop while they gaze at scant, gaudy lingerie that would rival that of Las Vegas strip joints (I wondered who bought these). Mostly geared to local trade, merchants still try to entice the few tourists into their shops with a cup of tea (shai) and hope to sell brilliantly colored scarves, exotic jewelry or unusual but yummy deserts. Side alleys branch out from the main thoroughfare into mysterious places called caravanserais. Traveling merchants stayed there, as well as the donkeys and camels that carried their goods, but now they house businesses.

A bus drive about an hour out of Aleppo takes us to the Basilica of San Simeon. A Christian mystic, Simon, thought to be the most famous man of the 5th century, found that monastic life was not sufficiently ascetic. Instead, he sat on a series of graduated pillars on a hill for 40 years, the last one over 50 feet high. Simeon gave sermons and healed pilgrims who traveled from as far away as Europe to receive his blessings. Food was hoisted up and a drainpipe took care of waste. The Basilica was built around his pillar when he died and the site became a mosque with the arrival of Islam in 7th century.

The Desert: Palmyra

We drive through barren desert complete with dunes. It’s a clear, hot, sunny day when suddenly a violent wind begins to blow sand sideways, until within minutes, visibility diminishes to a fraction of that seen on a LA high smog alert day. The sand storm subsides by the time we reach the city of Palmyra, one the great caravan centers along with Damascus and Aleppo. Surrounded by an extensive, seemingly lifeless desert, Palmyra does possess the desert’s most valuable asset- water. Trade and water go together hand in hand, because desert caravans were forced to pass through Palmyra or perish. Thus, Palmyrans became wealthy in their heyday. They built spectacular monuments and temples during the first and second century AD when the Romans coveted spices, prostitutes, gold and ebony from the east. Their glory collapsed, however, when Romans conquered Palmyra and imprisoned the beautiful and powerful Queen Zenobia in 274 AD. The stately pillars and monuments gradually disappeared under desert sands.

I walk though the towering gold colored columns and arches of this truly astonishing antiquity, a dramatic contrast to the barren desert that surrounds it. There is one spot on the wall of the Temple Bel where you can climb up and look down on the greenery of the oasis by the town. We head for swimming pool next to another wall outside the temple and luxuriate in the cool clear water that feels like heaven in contrast to the 105 F degree temperature and the glaring, white, afternoon sun. In the evening we return to further explore the ruins when they are lit up, only enhancing the magical quality of Palmyra.

Kindness of Syrians

 One evening we stroll through the Christian quarter of Damascus to admire the beautifully lighted Greek Orthodox Church and, afterwards, twist through the curvy cobblestone lanes. As we are about to pass under an arch between buildings, 2 men look down from their window in the arch and call to us. The next thing you know, our entire group is invited upstairs into their home to meet the extended family. Pictures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus hang on the walls of the spacious living room in this 150-year old stone building. We are served juice and ask them questions. As translated from Arabic through Bashar, they said that Christians and Muslims live in harmony together in Syria. This lovely warm-hearted experience is yet another confirmation of the generosity, sincerity and safety that I feel in while traveling in Syria.

• Gabriela Taylor is a long-time Kaua‘i resident and author of “Geckos & Other Guests: Tales of a Kauai Bed and Breakfast.”