Treasures and Inheritors

Palmyra, Syria


Palmyra is magnificent. To sit on the nearby hilltop at sunset overlooking the site is a rare treat. The stunning columns and arches turning golden, the temples bathed in the late afternoon glow - it's something you won't forget soon. It's a place to wander around and let your fantasy work feverishly to imagine the streets full of life as they once had been: the beautiful buildings, the superb temples, the pulse of a thriving city at a major crossroad.

The desert here is extremely inhospitable though. The wind in the early morning was terrible, so fierce like I've never experienced before. I was wearing 2 fleece jackets over my T-shirt and a scarf over my head. My hands were frozen, my feet in sandals were not very happy either but fortunately I had socks on. The next morning I had my tuke and gloves on and it felt slightly better :-)

True to my nomadic style I picnic-ed among the ruins. I had left the hotel very early to not miss the sunrise - before 6am - and had taken with me water and food for the day. After the sun rose high enough and the light became harsher I looked for a sheltered spot and had breakfast: in a corner of the Agora.

I also ventured into and wandered in the nearby oasis for a while enjoying the breeze and peacefulness. The oasis consisted of large olive groves surrounded by low mud walls and irrigated through a net of small channels. There were also big palms and pomegranate trees, but mostly there were old olive trees. there were plenty of birds around. Narrow lanes were crossing the area and once in a while bedouins were passing on their motorbikes responding to my "Salaam!" and looking at me surprised. Of course no tourist ever wanders off here. You could get lost or easily disoriented. You could get scared. I was just charmed.
After being exposed for more than 2 hours to the fiercest coldest desert wind I have experienced so far this was heaven. I greatly enjoyed it.


However, I blacklisted Palmyra.

Did you ever think that people were not worth what they got/inherited? The thought, I have to admit, had crossed my mind a few times while travelling, but it was only in Palmyra that I simply could not push this thought back. I guess I got traumatized there. In the weirdest way.

I arrived in Palmyra in the late afternoon. Actually, it was close to dusk when the bus dropped me on the roadside. I could distinguish the ruins in the distance to the right. That helped me identify my location and I started walking towards town. As soon as I reached the first houses children started to come running to and after me screaming "hello" and asking for various things. It was getting dark quickly and by the time I walked on the streets toward the hotel it was already dark. Kids started to follow me pulling at my pack and asking for money, biscuits, candies, etc. Then there were more and not necessarily friendly. They laughed at me and tried pinching my bum. It was the first time this happened. Eventually I had to yell "Halas!" at them (ie "Enough!") and someone came out and told them to stop. Then they threw stones after me.
I reached the cheap dark hotel and got a room fairly easily afterwards. After a shower I sat in my room thinking what I did wrong, why the incident on the street. Eventually, I had to go out, it was still only about 6pm and I was hungry. On the well-lit, souvernir-shop lined tourist strip there were a few places to eat. And I stopped there and had the worst food so far since I set foot in the Middle East. What they served as mensaf had absolutely noresemblance to the genuine bedouin mensaf I had in Wadi Rum. It was terrible, but served on plates with proper cutlery with more fuss than necessary and for an indecent price, Oh, well. I had to get caught in a tourist trap at some point.

After dinner I decided to venture into the town streets looking for the little shops and the felafel stalls busy with locals. That would have been the best spot to get some decent local food. And I nice spot to interfere with any locals. For the second time that day I had a bad experience with children throwing rotten fruit at me in a side street. The local people just looked and didn't say anything. I was extremely upset and went straight to my hotel room. Little did it matter at that point that the man in the bakery had been very friendly and smiled at me. Fortunately, I had managed to buy some bananas and oranges, fresh bread and some cheese from the local shops. I certainly wasn't going to go back to any restaurant in Palmyra.

The next evening I had dinner in my room - a tuna can I had carried from somewhere in Jordan and some flat bread. I simply did not feel like going back on the streets. A pity.

There was something else that pissed me off here, maybe even more than the incident with the kids. You're standing in front of the Monumental Arch, the sun rising behind you. The arch and the collonnaded street ahead are glowing marvellously and your eyes are led ahead through the arch, the columns and over to the hill on the horizon where this terrible eyesore stands: a huge communication tower. Of all possible places the Syrians have decided to build that right there, perfectly aligned with the ruins. I felt it like another, much greater insult.

Putting any potential trauma aside, Palmyra was awesome. I walked around the site from sunrise till dusk, taking pictures and looking at things from all possible angles. The size of the area is also overwhelming. There are things to be seen still some kilometers away. Overlooking all this is a huge fortress perched on a hilltop which offers some of the best views at sunset. It also makes for a very nice and interesting backdrop to many pictures in Palmyra.