Shopping in Damascus

Finally pictures to match our shopping stories from Damascus.

Here is the main marketplace in Damascus. It was decorated with banners in honor of the Prophet's birthday (which was the reason that we had a long weekend.)

One of our stops was a furniture workshop. Damascene furniture is particularly known for its inlaid wood and mother-of-pearl. This entire tabletop was going to be covered in mother-of-pearl and was being made for someone rich in the Emirates. The approach seemed similar to making a stained glass window. The pattern was on the tabletop and one guy cut pieces which the second guy put into place. We ordered a much simpler chest - we will send pictures once it has been made.

This is a picture of the Street that is called Straight which is one of the few (the only?) streets named in the bible. The street is being dug up but I loved this decaying bay window which had beautiful wooden columns.

Here is Dan, me and our hostess Stephanie outside the rug store (very close to the above photo).

Here is me inside the rug store in the first room. We sat and had tea. The storeowner Elias (you can tell he is Christian because he has a french-sounding first name) would have his assistant unfold some rugs - we'd say "we like red" "we like pile more than kilims" "we don't like that one at all" and then he'd unfold some more rugs. Then when the floor was covered with 4 rugs that we loved he said "I have more rugs upstairs." And then we went upstairs and indeed there were more rugs. And then he said "I have another room downstairs."

Here you can see Dan carrying our rug. I mostly liked the mosque in the background.

Here is the same rug hung up on our wall. It is a 1930s rug from Persian (Iran) that had been hanging in a Syrian living so it already had helpful loops. In the background you can also see an oil paintint that Mom bought me when we were in Jerash. It is a beautiful modern urban landscape.