Souvenirs from Syria

What mostly concerns a tourist in his trip is what souvenirs he would carry back with him to offer to his friends and beloved ones. These souvenirs should bear the spirit of the visited place and express its most beautiful aspects. And at the same it should memorize the happy moments the tourist had spent in his tour. In Syria, the tourist, usually, finds himself in front of a wide range of choices, since every region has its special souvenirs, usually made by hand, with great skill and proficiency. Add to that. There are many old traditional industries being revitalized and inherited from the forefathers to the grand children. In old Damascus, still rich with many traditional professions and various rare industries, the tourist can choose his souvenirs from a list of more than one hundred kind of handmade items: Damascus fabrics like the Damask and the Brocard, usually fabricated on old manually operated looms, sometimes mixed with gold and silver threads. Handmade embroideries of different sizes still carry local names like “Aghabani “ and “Sarma “ and can be used as hand Kerchiefs, table cloths and bed covers.

Typical Damascus A‘abas( Kaftans ) ornamented with Arab and Islamic designs or embroidered with different kinds of gold and silk threads carefully handled to reincarnate the skillful fingers of the forefathers who first created them . Glass wares are also decorated with geometric and floral designs and usually formulated by the blowing pipe, the oldest way in history for making glass. If the tourist continues his tour in “Souk al- Hamidia “he will find everything he needs from the head cover to the foot wear, an indication of the variation of typical industries. In the souk he will stand long before the many rich and colorful stands exhibiting copper ware : Damascene swords inlaid with precious stones, still being made in the old way, old local stoves ,coffee pots and Arabian coffee cups still which are still used everywhere in Syria. What attracts the eyes more are the copper trays inlaid with silver and made by typical old tools inherited from the grand fathers. If the tourist continues his tour in Souk al – Hamidia to the end and then bends left to bypass the “ Grand Umayyad Mosque “ he will find himself in a very old souk with small shops crammed with small silver boxes of different sizes and designs , usually used as Jewellery coffers .

Just a few steps forward, he will find replicas of the old wooden chairs and tables, caned with bamboo leaves, which were used in old Damascene houses. In this Souk the tourist will find the original typical Damascene mosaic boxes in which young brides used to keep their valuable clothes that is as wardrobes. In the old lanes of Damascus the tourist can buy the old Syrian rugs and carpets made of pure wool and fabricated on manual looms. Some of these rugs are more than 70 years old. One can find pieces that belong to the Ottoman period. From Ma‘aloula and Saydnaya , two Christian cities east north of Damascus, the tourist can buy colorful icons, some of which are small enough to be hanged in necklaces.

 In Palmyra the tourist can find simple typical silver ware made as replicas of Palmyran silverware. He can also buy rugs and kelims made of pure wool with colorful designs. He can use them either on the ground or hanged on walls as decorations. There are also typical souvenirs from the desert area usually used by shepherds and Bedouins. From Kasab at the tip of the Syrian coast a tourist can buy many items made of colored hay : bags , hats , and small trays. Around Lattakia , Tartous and Arwad island tourists can buy dried star fish, small sea crabs , shrimps , sea horses , and rare fish trapped in glass artifacts of different designs and shapes . They can find small scale replicas of sale ships inlaid with mother of pearl, as table dishes, ash trays made of shells caught in the deep waters of Arwad Island. In Aleppo the tourist can buy small scale replicas of Aleppo citadel. On the side walk opposite to the castle he can wander around the old hand crafts souk of Aleppo, famous with its leather industries: different types of bags and the famous Aleppo foot wear which started to be used about 400 years ago and are still being used up to this date .

Most important of Aleppo souvenirs is the alkaline free laurel oil soap and the rare type of clay stone known locally as “Beiloun “ used since old times to soften the hair as a substitute to the modern Balsam shampoos. Aleppo is also famous with its wool fabrics ornamented with pictures of personalities of old local myths and of the typical kaftans and head covers made of pure silk on manual looms. From Hama he can buy silk fabrics embroidered with gold and silver threads and hand woven head covers made of pure silk. Add to that the scaled models of the famous water wheels (norias ) .

Any where the tourist goes in Syria he will find something special to buy , either to keep it as a personal souvenir from his trip, or to offer it to his dearest kins and friends , and always with the best prices , and most important with sincere smiles .

Haifaa Mafalani