Suweida, Shahba, & Qanawat

Last Saturday, I, along with an Australian and a Canadian (thanks, James, for planning it), traveled via minibus (30SY lira, or about 60 cents) a good hour or so south of Damascus to the city of Suweida, and the outlying towns of Shahba and Qanawat. These sites are all on the way to Bosra, in the Hauran, not far from Jordan. The population is mostly Druze, a rather secretive religious group, drawing its traditions from both Islam and Christianity; they are, unsurprisingly, viewed as heterodox by Sunni Moslems. It is said that the full tenents of the Druze faith are not revealed to its members until they are aged 40 (perhaps not unlike LDS). The women are treated relatively equal to the men, as I understand it, and generally not veiled. They are found in significant numbers in Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. This region of the Hauran, however, was mostly devoid of any populace until the Druze immigrated from Lebanon (the Jebel Druze) in the 19^th century.

We first went to Shahba (above), a small and very pleasant town, important in history really only as the birthplace of the Roman Emperor, Philip the Arab (232-237AD). His predecessor, had died, interestingly enough, in battle outside of Baghdad. Upon becoming emperor, he renamed his hometown Philippopolis and bestowed funds for a significant building campaign. As such, this town – unlike any other town in the Hauran sans Bosra – yet maintains its original Roman grid pattern. Indeed, the main bazaar street is the same paved Roman road, and many of the merchant stalls were used as such in Roman days, likely selling the same produce and wares. There are several ruins to be seen, including a theatre (much smaller than in Bosra), a temple, and baths, all of black basalt. The best reason to visit Shahba, however, is for the museum of mosaics. These are all situated in situ and are most impressive. Unfortunately, like every other museum in Syria, photographs are not allowed, but above are a few postcard shots.

We caught a bus to Suweida (about 15 minutes, for about 20 cents), where we were to have lunch. Unfortunately, Suweida is a rather unattractive industrial town with little to interest the historically-minded traveler. Its Nabatean and Roman remains were utilized by Turkish troops to build barracks around 1900. The main attraction is the museum, with significant sculptures and mosaics (many from Shahba); all captions are in French and Arabic. I would be remiss in pointing out the money that Tim & I saved with our student cards: whereas James paid SY150 (US$3), we only had to pay SY10 (20 cents). That is certainly a good feeling!

From the museum, we caught a taxi to Qanawat. In cooler times, it would be a healthy 45 minute walk, but it was simply too hot. Whereas the museums were the main attractions in the other towns, Qanawat actually featured a significant church complex (an adapted Roman basilica), as well as more minor Roman temple remains. This city was part of the Decapolis federation of cities in Hellenistic and Roman times. The Nabateans moved their capital here from Petra in the first century BC. They crushed the forces of Herod the Great in battle when he attempted to annex the city; he, interestingly, was under pressure from Antony, who wished to restore the region to Cleopatra.

More than the sites visited on this daytrip, however, were the friendly and generous people whom we came in contact. Indeed, this hospitable spirit is one of the key attractions of Syria, the more notable as it has largely been lost to the over-touristy Egypt or Morocco. Damascus is a large city of 7-8 million souls, and a large city is the same anywhere to some regard. But outside, people are especially friendly. While children, especially, would come up to us in Shahba and say hello (indeed, our limited Arabic was wasted, as everyone wanted to speak to us in English!), in Qanawat we actually had a young boy approach us with a pot of thick, cardoman-laced Arabic coffee, offering us each a sip, then scampering away with nary a word. We also had a good “conversation” (in mixed English/Arabic) with a Druze shaykh at the church ruins. In Suweida we met a fellow named “Fahddi” whom we asked regarding a good restaurant. He took us inside, ordered for us, ensured we were not cheated (as foreigners; but the prices were posted), and visited with us for an hour. He was majoring in English literature at the university, but also worked as a marble craftsman. Though he was full of humour and general good-naturedness, yet was there an underlying sense of despair and melancholy. He noted with chagrin that despite his hard work and very long hours, he could never get anywhere; that is, his hard work was not rewarded. Indeed, he suggested that he could work all day and only earn enough for lunch! And for this reason, he was hoping to work abroad, in Dubai, or perhaps the US, UK, or Australia. There, he felt, in lands of opportunity, his effort and hard work would be rewarded. ­­

Overall, this was another worthy trip. I feel like I have seen the region south of Damascus, and can now turn my sights on the rest of the country.


[In Suweida, the late Basil al-Asad stands guard. He was the heir-apparent, but was killed in a car crash in the 1990s, leading to Bashar's recall from optometry training in London.]