Unfinished SYRIA AND PRACTICAL JORDAN (continued, part 4) Monday a little annoyed that we left Damascus on the road that led to Iraq. In fact, we went to Palmyra, a city that is located within the country, near the border with Iraq. The situation in Iraq and neighboring territories it is now much calmer than some time ago, but, nevertheless, the journey along the road that led to Baghdad, a chill ran down my spine. We did stop at the cafe, which is called - "Baghdad", and could not help but be photographed against the backdrop of his expressive signs. A few miles we came to another cafe with the same title. Yes, with the fantasy of local "kafeshnikov" tugovat. Cafe "Bagdad" We turned off the Iraqi roads and headed deep into the Syrian desert. The road ran along the rugged-looking chain of rocky hills. The people we saw along the road were the Bedouins. They sat next to their tents and pickup. Herd-boys to look after their herds of sheep and goats. The desert looked at the withers and very biblically (except for pick-up trucks), but to me it seemed rather bleak and dismal. On the road to Palmyra, we stopped to look at the ancient graves. Some of them were in the towers, while others were buried. Them there were very many. These ancient cemeteries were a kind of commercial enterprises. Here you can buy a place for themselves (own separate tomb is very expensive). After the death of the deceased body buried next to other bodies. Should be, so do in order to maximize the use of living space. This is because in a modern way, even though it all happened two thousand years ago. There is a striking example of the fact that for two millennia, human nature with all its greed and pragmatism has not changed. Palmyra Palmyra was first mentioned three thousand years ago, and, like all settlements in the region, the city is often seized various peoples and countries, among which were the Assyrians, Persians, Alexander the Macedonian army and the Romans. The city grew and prospered in the desert because it passes through a major trade route to Asia. Thus, whoever controlled the Palmyra, controlled the trade and had the right to levy taxes. The town reached its zenith when the queen Zenobia, whose growing influence could not but worry the Romans, and they have smashed her army and burned the town. From this defeat Palmyra was never able to recover and gradually turned into ruins, which can be seen here and to this day. Bedouin tent in the wilderness, the Temple of Bel (the supreme god of the religions of ancient Mesopotamia, ca. Perevi.) - A huge temple complex, built over two thousand years ago, and partially restored. The massive altar, with an excellent drainage system to drain the blood, the sacrifice was brought a large number of animals. At the time of its greatest prosperity and power of the temple must have been impressed by their impressive size. From the temple through the city center is a long street, adorned with columns. It is theater, the building of the Senate and all necessary for life in the city shops and establishments, as well as a market where, must have sold the imported goods from the East. Ruins occupy large areas. Street with columns of the temple of Bel has a length of more than a kilometer. Most of the ruins is still not excavated. The ruins of the ancient theater were restored, but, according to our guide, it was done badly, that depreciated the entire complex. If, however, believe our guidebook, the theater was "carefully restored. I thought he did not seem right really so terrible. Looking at it, you can imagine what an important role was played by ancient civilizations for fun. Obviously, then was at a premium fight. Temple of Bel in Syria and we almost did not see the beggars, but in Palmyra we fetched persistent young traders cards and different decorations. Sometimes they were very young and too insistent. In general, young people are very well spoken in English, though they are constantly perceived the phrase "No thanks, I do not need your product" as "if you try, I'll buy anything at any price." I was not surprised when our guide said that in Syria, a high level of literacy. We had a good dinner in a restaurant, which we recommend, and have tried the lemon juice with mint, which is sold on virtually every street corner. At times, this special drink gave a nice freshness, but sometimes he was so sour that it was impossible to drink. But it is always fresh. I've always liked the bus trip (especially when plenty of space for legs), because the wheel is someone else, and I could safely enjoy passing scenery outside the window. For this reason I was looking forward to a 3-hour trip through the rocky desert in Homs, a city located near the Mediterranean coast. Grey low bushes were visible here and there on the ground. Sometimes we met sections of green vegetation, which attracted the Bedouin and their sheep. We drove past the oil fields and military bases. We were warned that nothing can be photographed. Suddenly, we were among the flowering gardens and green fields, and then just as suddenly arrived in Homs. This is a relatively young city by Syrian standards. It was first mentioned in writing only two thousand years ago. Today, this industrial city with a population of half a million people who are representatives of various ethnic groups. But in the Homes we arrived only because it has good hotels, such as the Hotel Safir, where we spent two days. In the evening we tasted excellent snack. In this book, unlike the Hotel Sheraton in Damascus, has been running a bar. Start material: Read more:
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