palmyra desert

We have been in the Middle East for 10 months and finally made it to the desert this weekend. We even saw a few camels (the sort that are paraded around for tourists). Before we moved to Lebanon, I’d say the second most common ill-informed comment that we got was one presuming I’d be fully veiled and riding a camel around on sand dunes. The most common misconception centered around thinking that we were moving to a war zone.

Anyhow, on Friday, we went by minibus to Damascus and then took a bus straight to Palmyra, an oasis town in the Syrian desert. Palmyra is known for its ruins, mostly old temples and some funerary towers. The ruins are pretty spectacular, but I have to admit that I am lately unfazed by the sight of yet another Roman column. Still, it was great fun to wander around the site, up to a ruined castle, and to climb one of the towers that used to contain tombs. I do love the desert.

As the town is in an oasis, there are also huge orchards of palm dates and olives. We wandered along the lanes, peeking through gaps in the mud walls at picnicking families. It was my first time in a small village in Syria, and even though these people see many tourists, the children still call out “Hello, hello!”, and many of the adults, too.


This family held up babies for the photo.