Dr Sarwar Ibne Salam Chamber

[Map Rousch]

AndI am not belittling Ramzan just the reality of the followers of Islam , and the poor find hope in Ramzan , and good days in Ramzan touch the beggars life too and during Iftari time you can see all the beggars in Muslim society outside the various mosques Holy Shrines waiting to be counted.

Ramzan finally comes to an end Chand Rat , happiness joy sighting of the Moon and the following day the Eid Namaz I shall shoot the Namaz at Bandra Sunni Mosque near Bandra Station..once the Namaz ends Eid will be cerebrated hugging and best wishes and a little ahead the beggars life continues only the Beggars Ramzan does not get over Eid is an extra working day with the same wounds sores smelly clothes and wait for the few coins some crispy stingy notes in the beggars bowl..

I dont celebrate Eid I am a beggar too I show my solidarity with the beggars I am barefeet the same look the same old clothes.. and I will shoot the beggars , their lives dont change from one Eid to the next, and some beggars will wait near Jamatkhana so that someone buys them a plate of sheer korma , hotels do brisk business the surmawalas attarwala the scarf and topiwalahs all celebrate Eid save the beggars .. and than I wonder perhaps God forgot to make Eid for the beggars completely..

Yes there are many sects in Islam the only two sects in Islam on Eid I see are the rich affluent Muslim and the very poor and beggarly Muslims.. forgive me for my moderation as poets we see a picture much before a photographer shoots it..

And this picture of my two year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir shot last year at Bandra , was my way of showing her, her worldly roots as a Muslim , the poor on the streets , I exposed Marziya to pain , to the slums to the world of beggars she shot hijra beggars last Bakra Eid and I took her to Mahim when she was very small introduced her to Appu the beggar without hands or legs, she has never forgotten Appu , and it saddens me he has disappeared I searched for him , because Marziya told me on seeing his picture Grand Pa when will I shoot him , I told her she has to wait , for if I find him and Marziya shoots him that will complete the cycle of her street photography of pain.

Cpl. Eric Bobst, an Infantry Automatic Rifleman with personal security detachment, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7, fires his IAR at a close-quarters range at Forward Operating Base Sabit Qadam, Oct. 22. The IAR is replacing the M249 Light Machine Gun as the automatic weapon organic to the infantry squad. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. James Mercure)

Established between 10,000 to 8,000BC, Damascus is credited with being the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world. The old-walled city, in particular, feels very ancient and largely consists of a maze of narrow alleys, punctuated by enigmatic doors that lead into pleasing, verdant courtyards and blank-faced houses. The old city still has an authentic medieval feel to it, although this is vanishing fast due to the increasing tourist traffic as the city continues to be highlighted as an attraction. Life however, goes on in the old-walled city, which is still the religious and social center of the city.

The airport is relatively well-equipped with most standard services. The tax-free assortment is limited, but prices are very low, especially on perfume. You might find better bargains on goods such as Lebanese wine, arak (an unsweetened, aniseed-flavored, alcoholic beverage) and similar items before departing the airport.

The average fare from the airport to the city is 1500 SP. the prices became that high because nowadays only Taxi Companies allowed to pickup customers from the Airport, Fares are typically about 500 SP going from the city to the airport by Taxi, however, may vary depending on your bargaining skills.

There are also buses departing to and from Baramkeh bus station in the center of town (airport buses are the only ones which serve this bus station now - all other services have moved to the new out of town Soumaria bus station). The price is 50 SP + 25 for your luggage and there are departures every half an hour, 24 hours a day. At the airport, come out of the terminal and turn right - you will find the bus at the end of the building. There is a small ticket office. The buses have been upgraded in recent years and they became really good.

There are train services to and from Aleppo, making stops in Homs and Hama. One of the trains continues to Qamishli via Raqqa, Deir ez zoor and Hassaka. There are also services to Latakia, stopping at Homs and Tartus. However, buses or service taxis are more convenient. Syrian trains are slow and make many stops. The Damascus-Aleppo service is good. The main train station is at Qadam, a southern suburb. Service microbuses on the Qadam-Assali route run between Qadam and Sharia al-Thawra in the city center.

International: There are weekly sleeper trains to Istanbul (35-36 hours) and Tehran (60 hours). There are also twice weekly trains to Amman (very slow, generally require a change of trains at the border).

Service Taxis are available to Amman and Irbid in Jordan. Depending on the political situation, these also service Beirut and other points in Lebanon, as well as points in Iraq. Since the closure of the more central Baramkeh Station, these service taxis leave from Soumaria (pronounced like the girls' names "Sue Maria"), which is a 10-15 minute taxi ride from central Damascus, along Autostrade Mezzeh.

Hatay Turizm from Antakya/Turkey has regular buses to the city. You can board on these in Istanbul as well. Normally, you'll have to reserve a seat one day or more in advance, and although prices may vary, you can get a busticket for 80 Turkish Lira.

When arriving into Damascus by bus, make sure to move away from the bus terminal to find a taxi to the center of town. Otherwise, you run the risk of paying several times the going rate, which should be around SYP150-200, as cars posing as taxis operate next to the terminal. This is normally a two-man operation, with one person trying to distract you, while the driver puts your suitcase into the trunk of the "taxi" and locks it.

A very good idea is to go on foot especially for a sightseeing, and it's the only way to get around in Old Damascus. Walking in the new city however, should be reserved to the nicer areas of Maliki and Abu-Rumaneh, as the new city tends to be pollution clogged. The driving culture in Damascus is not the safest, so beware as a pedestrian, especially in the new city. Cars will not hesitate to come extremely close to pedestrians or other cars in order to pass.

It isn't a very good idea to rent a car in Damascus. There is almost always a traffic jam, especially in summer, and parking tends to be difficult too; although that isn't the the situation in suburbs.

Micro buses, also known as servees, are one of the main sources of transportation in Damascus. All journeys inside the city costs 10 Syrian Pounds (20 American Cents approximately). You can go from one place to another in Damascus with at most one or two journeys. When on the bus, give any passenger a coin and he will pass it to the driver and return the change, just remember to tell that passenger how many people you are paying for, whether you are in a group, or tell him that you are paying "for one" ("waahid") if you are alone. The route is written (in Arabic only) on the roof sign. Micro buses do not generally have fixed stops except at very busy points, just beckon to the driver and he will stop near you (Al yameen, andak iza samaht).

Taxis on Nasr Street near the Old CityTaxis are plentiful in Damascus, making them a great transportation. The taxis of Star Taxi, a new private company, are more expensive than normal taxis, but they are also more comfortable and safer. You can call their headquarters and they will send the nearest taxi to your door. Taxis with the Damascus Governorate logo on the side and a number on the roof sign are normally equipped with a meter, and it is best to use only these when hailing a taxi on the street. You should normally leave a 10-pound tip as well as the fare on the meter. At night, taxi drivers do not usually use the meter, so you may be best off negotiating the price before you get in. A service taxi to Amman or Beirut cost 700 Syrian pounds and takes around 4 hours and run 24 hours. Do not hesitate to take them; they are new, clean vehicles with air conditioning.

The Souq al-Hamidiyya, a broad street packed with tiny shops, is entered through columns from a Roman temple built on a site that had been occupied by an even older temple. The souqs themselves smell of cumin and other distinctive spices and you can find passages dedicated to everything from leather and copper goods to inlaid boxes and silk scarves.

The Souq al-HamidiyyaAt the end of Souq al-Hamidiyya stands the great Umayyad mosque; this building with three minarets is an architectural wonder. It was a Greek temple (one can still see ancient Greek carvings on the gate at the Southern wall), then a Roman temple, a church, then a mosque and a church together, and finally a mosque until now. All the symbols are still pretty much there and some Christian drawings can still be very clearly seen on the walls inside. The mosque contains the grave of John the Baptist (for Muslims, prophet Yahya) inside the main lounge. Women are asked to be to cover their hair, arms and legs. Abayas(full-body covers) can be rented near the entrance for 20SP. This is one of the few big mosques in the Islamic world where foreigners are welcome to enter.

Nearby, you can visit the Mausoleum of Salah al-Din, known in the west as Saladin, the chief anti-crusader. There's a great statue of him on horseback right next to the citadel, which will make you gasp. If you walk all the way around it, there are two dejected Frankish knights underneath the horse's slightly lifted tail. These two knights are identified by inscriptions as Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, and Reynald de Chatillon, lord of Kerak, an important fortress in the Holy Land. Both were captured during Salah al-Din's definitive victory at Hattin; Guy was imprisoned in Damascus and eventually released, but Reynald was executed as punishment for his many atrocities.

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