Goodbye visa, ‘marhaba’ Syria

Even though they are joined by a common history and culture, southern Turkey and Syria have long suffered a forced separation thanks to a visa regime that made cross-border visits an exhausting chore.

Now, however, the end of visa restrictions means that crossing over has been greatly simplified. For just 100 Turkish Liras, it only took me just two hours to drive from the southeastern province of Gaziantep to my hotel in Aleppo.

“The visa removal has been very good for both sides,” said the cab driver, Ökkeş. “Now people come and go everyday.”

Indeed, even in such a short time, the number of tourist crossings has doubled, according to tourism experts. Because there are no more visa restrictions for Turkish citizens and, consequently no more headaches, I chose to join the crowd, too.

The al-Assad Effect

Upon entering Syria, the first thing you notice is the poster of President Bashar al-Assad, whose ubiquitous likeness gazes at you everywhere you look in the country. Occasionally accompanied by his father or his brother’s image, al-Assad’s picture is on almost every building, shop, car and street.

“People like him more than his father,” said Ökkeş, who lives in Aleppo. “He is more open and negotiating.”

However, there is one other thing in Aleppo that seems almost as surprising as al-Assad’s posters: the uncountable cabs that run riot through the city. To prove my argument, I kept counting all the taxis I could see in a single glance; the number never dipped below 20.

Unlike Turkey, taxi prices are fairly cheap in the country. One Syrian pound equals roughly 3 Turkish kuruş and even during a long drive across the city you are unlikely to pay more than 100 pounds. As long as you remind the driver to keep the taximeter on, transportation is fairly cheap in Syria.

Old Aleppo

Aleppo is unquestionably a mesmerizing city. Divided into old and new sections, the new town is where most people have settled, while the old city is appropriately home to history and culture.

Our first stop was the Aleppo Citadel, a structure dating back to 3,000 B.C. that has hosted Greeks, Byzantines and Ottomans. Built on a hill in the middle of the city, it appears small from a distance, but its grandeur becomes apparent as one approaches. Inside, one can enter the informative museum for a small fee.

After the citadel, we visited the National Museum, the Umayyad Mosque and the Old Bazaar, all of which are located in the city center and within walking distance of each other. The bazaar is similar to Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, but cheaper. Inside, there are many kebab stands that seem like butcher shops at first glance but actually have tables for customers to sit and eat.

We chose one and took a seat, but because we knew no Arabic and they knew neither Turkish nor English, it took us at least 10 minutes to order our food. After sitting down, however, we began communicating through a few common words with the owners, who were Kurdish and originally from Kamışlı, a city on the border of Turkey. After listening to Turkish music on our host’s cell phone, we left with full stomachs and only 400 pounds poorer.

Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria, home to nearly 4 million inhabitants. While most of the population is Arab, there are also Kurdish, Armenian, Syriac, Turkmen and Circassian minorities in addition to different religious groups.

Because many people do not speak English, we were primarily helped by Armenians who spoke Turkish. They told us they still consider Turkish their mother tongue. Feeling ashamed and not knowing how to respond, we put our heads down and continued our walk.

Culture imported from across the border

One ubiquitous import found throughout Syria is Turkish music. It is common to see posters of Turkish pop and arabesque singers from around the country. Seeing me listening to my iPod, a bus driver assistant asked me why I didn’t want to listen to Turkish music.

Another surprise came when he turned on the television and on came the Turkish series “Kurtlar Vadisi” (Valley of the Wolves), which explores the Turkish mafia and its relations with the “deep state.” We realized that Turkish soap operas were as popular as the country’s music, yet we were astonished when someone asked if the Valley of the Wolves was true.

A few days later, we heard of an Iraqi boy who had killed his father, thinking that he was a character in the show. The incident should give the show’s producers a good indication as to how it is affecting people.

Palmyra and Damascus 

No one going to Syria should miss Palmyra. Serviced by conveniently priced buses from both Aleppo and Damascus, Palmyra is a small desert city of only 15,000 inhabitants, yet it was formerly a major trading city in antiquity. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates, it was a passage point between the sea and the river, yet it gradually lost its importance. 

Despite the intervening centuries, a remarkable number of the city’s temples, churches and shrines remain standing. The city museum and the restaurants serving Bedouin food are well worth visiting.

For the traveler, the only hassle is the people that come to see if you need assistance before asking for a cash handout.

After one night in Palmyra, we took the three-hour bus ride to Damascus. Contrary to my expectations, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on Earth – at 5,000 years – seemed quite noisy and chaotic due to its heavy traffic problem and disjointed architecture.

That said, there are many sites that make the ancient city worth visiting, with the magnificent Umayyad Mosque, the shrine of Saladin and the National Museum to name just a few.

But our trip did not end there: Coming back via a different route, we stopped in Hatay, a province on the southern border of Turkey. For the curious, it is fantastic to see how both Turkey and Syria merge in the region.

In the end, Syria is well worth the visit – and with visa restrictions lifted for Turkish citizens, there’s no better time to go

Hurriyet Daily News .