omayyad mosque, Damascus

Favorite thing: Clean your feet, wash your sins...get ready to met God, get ready to pray Him...
How to describe that feelings i felt?You understand me, always. No more secret between us, no more lies...the dirty is clean, now.

Fondest memory: My steps, following yours, my shoes in my hands
for the first time in my life i walked in such a place
never i felt so light never i felt so happy
belonging you it was like suddendly
all the answers were clear

Favorite thing: Another photo of the Omayyad mosque. The language school I was studying at took us here on a school outing, and our teacher showed us things we would otherwise have missed, like the tomb of Hussain(I think), and also told us that the mosaics in this mosque contain more colours than any Greek mosaics.

Favorite thing: see the Omayyad Mosque. Even though it is fast becoming a busy tourist site, it is still very impressive. My Muslim friends have described praying there as being something like an exhibit in a zoo though...and watch out for pickpockets and shoe snatchers!
Another mosque often missed by tourists is the Sayyida Ruqqaya, just around the corner from the coffeehouses next to the Omayyad Mosque(just follow the hordes of elderly Iranian pilgrims). It is a fairly new mosque financed by the Iranian government, and contains the shrine of Ruqqaya, the grand-daughter of Hussain (correct me if this is wrong!). Women need to cover their hair(not with a plastic bag, as some tourists have tried!), and you will be given a brown cloak to wear inside. In the Omayyad Mosque, it is best to carry your shoes inside with you (you might have noticed the shoe stalls just outside - hmmm...wonder where they get them from?!!!) - don't put them on the floor though! In Sayyida Ruqqaya, there is a counter where you can swap your shoes for a ticket. Inside, men should follow the men, and women should follow the women, as the shrine area is segregated.

Fondest memory: The food - I used to eat with the family I lived with, it was not the sort of stuff found on restaurant menus. Syrian food has a reputation of being rather boring and bland, but I suppose this must be Syrian restaurant food.

Favorite thing: ..harmony of coulors, joy for your eyes...
Thank you, for let me know this country
Thank you , for let me love this country
Thank you, to live in me...

Favorite thing: ...and outside people is sitting, chatting, eating, an atmosphere of holiday, a moment of agreement..

Favorite thing: Al-'Arous (the bride) Minaret, the oldest minaret of the Mosque.

Fondest memory: ....the Bride Minaret, we like to think as a sign...

Favorite thing: When you want Visit this area it,s good to have a walk around the mosque to see the beauty of the old city and to see also the old art in the buildind and in the shops

Favorite thing: When going to Damascus, it is a great experience to visit one of the beautiful mosques there.
The most famous is the Al Umayad mosque in the center of the town, seen on the pic on the left.