We decided late in the afternoon to follow the directions that appeared in the June 2008 edition of the magazine, Syria Today, to find the "Cave of 40" way up in Jebel Kassioum, the mountain that acts as a backdrop to the city of Damascus. First off, we had to journey to a section of the city Dania had never ventured into before and, once there, we asked a young man if he knew which service to take in order to get to the base of the mountain. He was kind enough to walk us across the busy street, hail the minibus that passed by, and because neither of us had small change, even PAID for our ride!!! Again, there's that unbelievable Syrian generosity! So, we sort of arrived where we were supposed to be, but still knew that we needed somehow to go UP. Dania found a taxi driver who claimed for a certain number of lira he'd take us, only to find out that he would drop us at a point where he then arranged for some other guy driving a 2-seater truck to take us up the VERY narrow, winding road to the "top."
Now, first of all, it was a very small truck. So, Dania, who sat in the middle, was really cozy with our driver and with the stick shift......Second of all, we were going so fast and so vertically UP that I thought at times we'd never make it alive - HONESTLY! It was drizzling at that point and I kept worrying that the truck's tires wouldn't hold as we made those sharp turns up, up and farther up. But, finally, he got us up as far as he could go, and we thanked him for his skillful driving and hopped out. By this time, it must have been about one hour before sunset. So, we kept moving up by foot now through narrow alleyways of very old looking homes, until we finally made it to the beginning (!) of our real climb:
As you can see, this stairway seemed to go to heaven and maybe even beyond.....I almost felt as though we were at Yosemite doing some of those steep hikes with loads of cut backs (or whatever they're called so that you aren't climbing straight up all the time). I think I've read that there are over 600 steps, but it's got to be WAY more than that. Finally, though, we did arrive at the very top at a very unpretentious looking mosque, a building that apparently has been in existence for over 1000 years. It is at this spot that many, many religious figures have retreated for safety, reflection and/or prayer, to include Moses, Abraham, Mohammed and, of course, Cain and Abel.
This cave is called Raja Arbain (cave of 14 men). Fourteen prophets came to live in this cave over time. Many of these men were Sufi, others were Jews and some were Christians. Apparently, the distinctions between these religions were not so great as they are now.
This is a portion of the story of Adam wa Howa (or Adam and Eve). After bearing many children, Eve gave birth to a girl who grew to be very beautiful. God told Adam wow Howa that there should be no marriage between any of these siblings. But Kabil wow Habil (Cain and Abel) were both infatuated with this one sister. Adam suggested that they both make a sacrifice to God to see who should marry this daughter. Kabil was a sheep herder and he offered up to God a very large fat sheep. Habil was a farmer and he offered up a meager gift of wheat. When God accepted Kabil's sheep via a flash of light taking the sheep to heaven, Kabil became enraged and took up a large rock and killed Habil in the cave. (OK, some of this story doesn't quite hang together, but it must be because it's been passed down many, many times.....so bear with me here.)
Now at this very time, Adam and Eve were in Mecca and at the very moment of the murder Adam was drinking water that turned very bad. He knew that something was wrong and turned to his wife to tell her that there had been a death. She was unfamiliar with death, since this was the first death of all time.
Meanwhile back at the cave, the mountain shook for seven days. A portion of the cave's wall opened up to resemble a very large human mouth with tongue, as if in a scream! This formation is one of the first things the son of the Imam of the mosque showed us once we removed our shoes, put on the appropriate covering and entered the cave/mosque. He then informed us that, upon the Abel's murder, the Angel Gabriel came and lifted his hand up upon the roof of the cave. You really can see something that appears to be a hand print embedded in the rock there. Above the hand print, in a seam of the rock, is the word Allah in Arabic script.
The son then showed us where fleeing Christians had once hid out beyond this portion of the cave. Finally, he brought us out to the mosque itself and explained that Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Moses, Jacob, and many other prophets had prayed where we were standing. I'm not sure whether I believe all that he had to share with us, but then why not! Ousama has always claimed that Damascus was where the Garden of Eden was. So....
According to both the Bible and the Koran, Habil carried Kabil to Zabadan in the Lebanon mountains. He didn't know what do do with the body. On the way he watched one bird kill another. He then watched the surviving bird scratch out a grave and watched the bird cover it as well. He did the same to establish the first burial rite. Some of the above is pretty cobbled together, but you get the gist, right?
On our very short (since it was downhill) hike back home, we veered toward the right and ended up walking right into Dania's souq! Just before I realized where we were, I took this shot of an engraving on the side of a house. Its date is sometime in the 1300s!!!
That evening, I think, we took a LONG taxi ride out to the Palestinian refugee camps where Dania's Arabic tutor, Usra, lives with her young children and where she offers Arabic lessons to various Americans and British students. Wow, what a difference between Usra's apartment and anything I had seen in Damascus proper. Many of these refugee camps have been in existence since 1948 and then again others since 1967. And, boy, do they look like slums - maybe not so bad as what I remember the upper parts of Harlem were like in the 1970's, but BAD enough. Anyway, we had a lovely meal with the other students and their families who, like me, were visiting at Christmas time.
The next day, New Year's Eve, I finally had the opportunity to meet the Iraqi students Dania has been tutoring through the Iraqi Student Project.
But, even before our visit, we had to return one last time to the Journalist's Club so that Dania could coordinate her lesson for the Iraqis with another tutor. Once again, the management was profusely apologetic when Dania entered the room and comped us our tea! Maybe she can drag this out forever??
After all the coordination, we finally moved on to the ISP tutor room in what looked to me like a dilapidated old building within walking distance of the Journalist's Club. One by one, each student came in for their hour-long session with Teacher Dania.
After the formal portion of her lesson, each of the students asked me questions. I was sort of prepared for the "interview;" however, I wasn't really prepared for the political nature of so many of their questions. How would you answer the question of "What is the American dream" in basic English and in just a few minutes??? Anyway, during that short period of time, I realized that these kids were really good people who just happened to have been born at the wrong time in Iraq. Many of them have pretty sad stories Here's a video of what ISP is and who some of these kids are. I admire what they're trying to do in preparing themselves to qualify to study in the US and then to return to help their country rebuild itself. I also admire Theresa and Gabe, the two Americans who are responsible for ISP. They're pretty idealistic ex-hippies who saw a need in Damascus and have been trying to find full-ride scholarships for each and every one of these deserving people in the U.S. By the way, I also admire Dania for getting involved in this worthy cause!
So, on to the fun and games of New Year's Eve. We started off with a pre-dinner meal with Gabe and Theresa in their very funky place in what seemed to me the commerical part of downtown Damascus. Our contribution to the festivities there was a big bottle of Polo, that WONDERFUL lemon and mint drink. After putting in an appearance there, we hoofed it to the next celebration at one of Helena's UN friend's homes where they were barbecuing WONDERFUL lamb and where the wine was flowing. All I have to say is the Aussies, New Zealanders (they must have a nickname?),Swedes and Danes know how to drink. Then, the party moved on to the US Embassy's "club" in the basement of the building. It was almost like being back in college at a fraternity house: beer was flowing, music was way too loud and there were several big-screen TVs showing US football games! After about one hour, Dania and I both agreed that this was NOT where we wanted to see in 2009. But it was not before she and Helena had a bit of fun.
At this point, I don't remember how we got where we went next nor do I remember where we went. But, we ended up with a group of Dania's real friends, a mix of Europeans and Arabs who've been friends for a while now. It seemed way beyond midnight when the ball finally dropped, but it was a memorable evening way up in some high rise apartment building with a view of ??? What a blur!
While I don't remember how we returned home, I do vaguely remember waking up and regretting the fact that I'd have to leave my "little baby" that afternoon. But, I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and to some warmer weather (it had actually snowed on New Year's Eve up in the mountains!). So, I bucked up, packed up, and prepared for Dima's driver's arrival so that we could head out to the airport. It was about halfway out there that we saw the snow up in the mountains that separate Damascus from Lebanon. What a sight. I had left home with snow in our "mountains" and was leaving Syria with a similar sight.
What a way to spend the Christmas holidays! Dania's version of life is revved up so fast that her old mom can barely keep up, but she certainly knows how to have fun, with a little bit of drama thrown in! I thank her for our Seriously Syrian Escapade.
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