The path to Damascus

Americans and Europeans were ahead of Russian tourists in Syria within two days in Moscow was a presentation of the Syrian tourist direction for Russian companies. Tourism Minister Dr. Saadalla al-Kalaa opened the exhibition of photographs of world-famous ancient, Christian and Islamic shrines located on Syria land, and signed an agreement with the Russian Federal Tourism Agency.

In an interview with the specialized correspondent of Gazeta, the minister said that Syria is a popular direction for intellectuals around the world and people of culture and the safest in the East. The Foreign Ministry has never released warnings for tourists visiting it.

“There have never been a single attack on tourists in Syria,” Al -Kalaa emphasized. “Not only amateurs of ancient antiquity, Damascus steel or Damaski brocade come to us, but also those people who want to see the cradle of civilization firsthand.”

Damascus is more than 5 thousand years, this is the oldest capital of the world. The oldest stone is stored here, on which the inscription is made in three languages, and this stone is 4.3 thousand years. Here is the oldest Christian temple - the one in which the Apostle Paul turned from a cruel tax collector into a church builder. One of the four icons written by the evangelist Luke is stored here.

"You can visit the grave of Abel - the shrine revered by Christians and Muslims. You can enter the Mosque of the Umayyads - one of the most ancients, go inside and see the mausoleum with the truncated head of John the Forerunner, who equally honor the followers of Christ and Muhammad, and the Syrians saved this shrine when the Byzantine empire was consulted The campaigns of relics, ”the Minister with pleasure listed the treasures of his country, concentrated in Syria with an incredible density.

About 30% of the population of Syria are Christians, and all denominations. All three villages, still speaking in the language of Christ - Aramaic, are located near Damascus. By the way, Syria ambassador to Moscow Hassan Riche is an Orthodox Christian.

The Ambassador Riche recalled that the Enlighteners of the Slavs Kirill and Methodius were born in Syria, all the famous Orthodox fathers of the Church preached here, and the tradition of religious dispensing here has many centuries and is still not wasted.

With such grandiose cultural ties, Russians are just beginning to master Syria. And they do it much more slowly than Americans and Europeans. Largely, according to Minister Al-Kalaa, this is a miscalculation of his department. Until now, Syria mainly worked with tourists from Arab countries, for whom this is the most attractive direction of tourism. Russians prefer a beach vacation. And this direction in Syria is just beginning to develop.

According to the minister, 4.5 million foreigners visit Syria annually, of which 350 thousand are 350 thousand, 54 thousand, Russians - about 45 thousand.

Israeli citizens are not allowed to the country, with whom Syria did not sign a peace treaty, and those foreigners who have an Israeli visa in the passport. The rest of the tourists from Russia are allowed visa -free entry if the travel agency, according to the ticket of which he is traveling, works with organizations accredited in the country.

03/17/2008 / Nadezhda Kevorkov, the material was published in the newspaper No. 48 dated 03/18/2008.