On the coast
The road from Latakia to Aleppo looked like from a catastrophe movie. For miles and miles, we rode through ruins. They were left and right, and as far as the eye could see. Hardly anything has been rebuilt since this area was bombed. The residents fled; many went to refugee camps. Others chose to stay. Here and there, we noticed signs of someone occupying a corner of a building that was still standing or saw a solitary man crossing an empty street.
Fadi got us permission to drive through the area. However, we were not allowed to stop anywhere. Taking photos of ordinary people was okay, but not of anyone in the uniform. Harry gave us another stern warning that we should not even think of sneaking pictures of checkpoints that were plenty on this road. Men with guns studied the group list, sometimes asked a question or two and let us continue.
We stopped in the city of Ma’arat al-Numan to visit the famous Mosaics Museum. Officially, it was closed because it is the military buffer zone. Fadi produced another permit and the guards let us in.
The museum is a collection of ancient mosaics that mostly originate from the villages of Northern Syria and date back to 4th and 5th centuries. They were transferred under one roof to be preserved.
The guards initially eyed us with caution. Nevertheless, they took us around helping to walk in dark places and holding flashlights. They even showed us an underground room that served as a prison cell at some time and was used as a bunker during the war.
Our guides ordered pizza which we ate at the museum. By then, the guards became used to our presence and paid no attention to us. We finished lunch and drove to Aleppo.
The hotel this time was Aleppo Palace (another palace!) and dinner was at Sultana restaurant with a view of Aleppo Citadel that we were going to see on the following morning.
Natalia, what a fantastic and accurate account. Your photos are excellent and to the point. I love the one of Tracy dancing with the bard and Ahmet. Well done.
Erica, it is great to have feedback, especially from you, because you were there. Please also don’t hesitate to say what can be improved.