Things to know when in Syria

Coffee & Tea

Drinking coffee and tea is very much part of everyday life in Syria. Tea is served in small glass cups and is often quite sweet. A cup of tea is offered many times when you are visiting shops etc. Coffee are similar to what you find in Turkey.

Strong and drunk without milk you will be asked how (sweet) you take your coffee before it is made.

Sugar is added when brewing the coffee and not added afterwards let the coffee rest for a while so that the “mud” can settle at the bottom you will usually get a glass of water with your coffee.

At the souqs

If you want to buy some souvenirs for people back home might as well you get them in the souqs !Almost everything is in this old market place.

The ones in Aleppo & Damascus are just so amazing !competitive prices & lots of choices !In fact even if you are not buying anything getting lost in the Souqs will be a highlight for you in those places !  

Relaxing in a Hammam

Visiting a hammam is most probably something you should try to do while in Syria. There are several to choose from in most cities especially Aleppo and Damascus. Syria does have some beautiful hammers. It is authentic clean and not expensive. They usually have a price list at the entrance where you can see exactly what it will cost you including admission soap wash shampoo massage drinks etc. You can take your own soap and shampoo if you wish to do so. There are different ‘rooms or areas’ which vary in temperature. Some steam rooms can be very hot. Average price for the full ‘menu’ could be between 400 – 600 SYP. It is generally expected to leave a tip for the guys helping around with the towels tea etc. – go here for a good experience. It is clean and service is good.

Sweets & Spices…

Many people like to buy the Syrian sweets & spices to bring home ! well if you like to give to kids the sweets would do! If you are a good cook the spices would be an excellent choice but you must have good recipes on how to use the spices as they could be different in tastes of the menus that you get in your home country…So don’t forget to get a good cookbook when you intend to buy the spices

Nargileh everywhere

Smoking nargileh must be one of the favorite pastimes in Syria. It is not only popular with men but you will see many women smoking these water pipes in restaurants. It seems that the most popular times is from late afternoon into the evening. There are also many shops selling these pipes which can make a great gift for someone at home.

Bus

I enjoyed travelling by bus in Syria. There are quite a few bus companies offering very good connections. There is no problem with luggage the busses are very comfortable and are air-conditioned. And they are really cheap. I would recommend travelling by bus in Syria anytime. Pullman or Karnack are just two of the many companies. I used both and was very happy. It was never needed to book ahead

Sometimes it is good to be a woman

It is very common for women to cut to the front of a line ahead of men especially if they are older. On numerous instances old women just walked to the front of a line and passed everyone by that was waiting while I was in line.

Haifaa Mafalani