TRAVELS IN ARABIA 243I loved traveling to prewar Syria, a country many consider to be the
true heart of Arabia and the Middle East. Prior to entering Syria, for-
eigners are required to apply for and obtain a visa from the embassy of
Syria located in their home country. I dutifully complied with this cumber-
some process for my first trip, but on my second trip I neglected to obtain a
visa before setting off for Syria. I did not realize my blunder until I was on
board the flight to Damascus. I was actually watching the Syrian torture
scene from the movie Body of Lies when it hit me. There was nothing I
could do at that point other than try and talk my way through the situa-
tion. Upon my arrival at Damascus International Airport, the immigration
official was not amused. I explained the situation as best I could (keeping in
mind I had no good excuse for showing up without a visa) and also enlisted
the support of the Four Seasons Damascus. Since the Syrian regime was
also close to Hezbollah and Iran, I was hoping they’d deport me to Beirut
on the next flight rather than detain and interrogate me. After about four
hours of negotiation (and a dinner of some decent airport shawarma), the
Syrian officials agreed to let me pay a “penalty,” and I was given a visa and
allowed entry into the country.
Sitting in the back seat of a Syrian taxi on the way to my hotel, reviving
myself with a blast of fresh night air through the open window, it occurred
to me that a Syrian showing up at Dulles airport without an American visa
would probably not have the same good fortune I had.
One advantage to living life under a secular dictator like Bashar al-Assad—
at least until the Syrian war broke out—was that anyone could safely walk
the streets at any time of day or night. As long as you didn’t challenge the
ruling family, average Syrians, as well as foreign visitors, were free to expe-
rience all that Syria had to offer. Syria is home to an endless array of awe-
inspiring historic sites that even the well traveled among us generally know
little about. Unfortunately, many of these world treasures were destroyed
during the war. For example, in 2015, ISIS destroyed many temples,
columns, and works of art in the ancient city of Palmyra.
During my first trip to Damascus, I visited the simple tomb of Salah
al-Din and the nearby, breathtakingly beautiful Umayyad Mosque. Along