Shopping!!

Shopping Shopping Shopping!! we spent half our budget in one of the oldest standing shopping malls in civilliation! It was built by Muawiya Ibn Abi Sufyan, a once a Syrian empire. It is built next to the Muawiyin mosque, which is one of the largest and complex mosque in the world! we will hopefully visit it tomorrow

Mohammed N

Argulieh

Argulieh (also commonly known as a “waterpipe” ), is very popular to have in many households, restaurants and cafes around Syria.  Argulieh is an instrument used for vaporising and smoking flavoured tobacco known as “Mu’aseel”, in which the vapour or smoke is passed through the water basin.  Our group’s favourite “Mu’aseel” flavour was mint, as it wasn’t too strong. Here in Syria, Argulieh is seen as a social thing, as wherever there is a gathering, like Matteh, Argulieh is also involved. Typically Argulieh is shared with up to four people; however, to prevent the head from burning quickly from the charcoal placed on top, two people usually shared one Argulieh.

 Argulieh - “Mu’aseel” placed in a fresh apple head.

 

 

Sarah K

Tartous Ruins and Rare Species

Today we visited the beautiful ancient remains of amrit on the coastal city of Tartus! The experience was one that will live on in our memories for a long time to come. The ruins were spectacular and with excavation incomplete it is definately on our list of places to return just to see the progress! To top it all off we found a rare breed of turtle, it was only a baby but has the potential to be as be as a large rock!

Ruins across the Tartous shire

A rare baby Alabra Turtle found washed up on the beach!!!

Alaa D

Wara’ Enab (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

It’s almost in every Mediterranean culture to know the craft of making this gourmet masterpiece from the simple scraps such as loose vine leaves, rice, and ground bits of meat. And a masterpiece it is, today we feasted on one our favorite meals of all time- Wara’ Enab !  It depends very much on your personal preferences; some people prefer to add chops, vegetables, koussa and even chicken to eat with the vine leaves. We were served with lubna ( a specially thickened yogurt) on the side, garlic, mint and lemon to add more flavour to our dish. Syrians have likely borrowed the idea of stuffing grape vine leaves from Greeks or Turkish generations  who have purportedly been rolling for centuries. We found out that the origin of stuffed vine leaves goes back to the time when Alexander the Great besieged Thebes! 

Mona M

Common Syrian Drink

‘Matteh’ is a very common beverage consumed in Syria. There hasn’t been a day that has passed in Syria that we haven’t enjoyed it. A social gathering isn’t complete without ‘Matteh’! This drink is made from dry Yerba Mate leaves in hot water with sugar, honey or alone; most of the times, we chose the honey as we find it the best combination. It's usually served in a small cup with a silver straw. Furthermore, since it contains caffeine, some like to include dried camomile flowers or other herbal combinations to offset the effects of the caffeine. 

As Syrian Australians we loved drinking it back in Australia, so finding it in many Syrian households is no surprise to us. Interestingly, although Syria isn’t the country of origin, it is the world’s largest importer of yerba mate!

Noura A

Famous Syrian Ice cream- "Bakdash"

Walking through the crowded “Souq al- Hamidiyah”  also known as the markets in Damascus during the summer time  can be quite a challenge. However the group all agreed we deserved something refreshing and cold.  One of Syria’s famous ice cream stops “Bakdash”.  Syrian traditional ice cream is similar to gelato, as it has a similar elastic texture to it. Here the ice cream is famous for its pistachio ice cream made of mastic and sahleb, as seen in the picture below.  Here at Badkash while waiting in line for this popular treat, you are able to see the workers making the ice cream through a window, where the Syrian crowd watching in amaze make this experience worthwhile. 

Sarah K