La città fantasma

febbraio 28th, 2011 | Posted by dokk in Siria - (2 Comments)

The ghost city

Quneitra is former syrian city. During the invasion of the Golan Heights it was taken over by Israel.

In 1974, following a UN resolution, the occupants were forced to leave. But, according to my syrian policeman-guide, they first evacuated the 30,000 living Arabs. Then they dismantled everything that could be resold: windows, electrical wiring, plumbing, tiles, etc, and took that to Israel. In the end they ran about the city with bulldozers demolishing the every building.

Quneitra

Quneitra

Quneitra is now a ghost town, where houses have imploded under the weight of the roof, banks are ruined, offices collapsed following the slaughter of the columns.

Quneitra

Quneitra

And the former hospital is riddled with holes of all sizes, having been used as a firing target. Only the Maronite church and the two mosques are still standing, but none of them seems to have been a place of worship, decadent and empty of everything, even the floors and stucco.

Quneitra

Quneitra

It certainly has been an unusual destination, away from common tourist routes. And with a bitter taste. But I highly recommend it.

Photos from wikipedia.

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Vita di moschea

febbraio 23rd, 2011 | Posted by dokk in Siria - (0 Comments)

Mosque life

The Muslim place of worship, the mosque, has an atmosphere very different from what “we” Christians are used to.
The church is in fact a place of meditation and silence, even outside, is crucial.

The mosque is instead first a meeting and relaxing place. Groups of friends and family lies on the crowd in the courtyard for a chat, relax, and even to sleep. And it is easy to see children playing tag or even football. And the prayer? Inside, even if I have rarely found the same silence as in a church.

Damascus Umayyad Mosque courtyard

Damascus Umayyad Mosque courtyard

The Great Umayyad Mosque is one of the most important mosques, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.



Detail of the Umayyad Mosque

Detail of the Umayyad Mosque

Inside the Umayyade mosque

Inside the Umayyade mosque

The Umayyade mosque by night

The Umayyade mosque by night

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