Samir Mardini is a gifted Syrian Australian musician, who performs every week with his brother, Sargon, at Raqwa Café & Beer Garden in Preston, Melbourne, where I interviewed him one Sunday evening.
Samir and Sargon are often invited to perform at weddings and other events at cafes, restaurants and lounges. They are becoming quite well-known within the Arabic communities in...
 Tima Kurdi, author of ‘The Boy On The Beach’ (Simon & Schuster, 2018), was born and raised in Damascus.Â
In 1992, she immigrated to Canada but maintained close links with her family in Syria. There were joyful reunions back in Damascus, but in September 2015, a personal tragedy struck the Kurdi family.
Tima’s younger brother Abdullah, his wife Rehanna, and their...
An RT Documentary, this video was first posted in February 2019, when people living in most Syrian cities and towns could breathe a lot easier, and had cause to look forward to peace.
'Syrian Tango' features a sculptor, Tango dancers, a documentary film maker, and a composer/musician. In giving a voice to these artists, the documentary presents Syrian people at...
In September 2019, I dropped in on an old friend, Elaine Imady, author of 'Road to Damascus'. Elaine is an American Syrian who first went to live in Damascus around six decades ago with her Syrian husband, Mohammed, whom she'd met at New York University. Theirs was a true love story.
In 2010,  Elaine wrote for 'Syria Comment'Â
Since last Sunday, March...
I was in Damascus for just over a week, and in a taxi with Athar and Rana on our way to the old city. First for a stroll in the Souq Al-Hamidiyah and then onto Beit Jabri for a juice and maybe lunch.
It's September 2019. Life has its burdens for the locals, no doubt, but they can still smile....
This interview with Mahdi Al Mahdi took place on 24 September 2019, my last evening in Damascus before I flew out of Syria on my return trip to Australia.Â
I just chanced upon the ‘White and Black Quartet’ when I sat outside my hotel to chat with friends. It was a ‘magic moment’ for me. Â
https://youtu.be/oYcsQFdU9-g
Here, 'White and Black Quartet'...
Tears for the Souq of Damascus
On the road to Damascus
I dreamed of the Souk
The delicious biscuit, barazeh
The over powering smell of maazoot
Souk El Hamadeyeh’s narrow lanes
Shoulder rubbing lanes of fabric
Copperware, clothing, underwear
The silversmiths, surely do reign
Traditional foods and modern cuisine
Great fashion and jewellery
Syria, home of pure cotton
High-rise buildings add to the scene
Mar Yohanna’s historical church
Now a mausoleum
The ancient...
Dar Al Salam School, a private school in central Damascus, has a co-educational primary school section and a girls high school. Its principal and the majority of its staff are women.
I heard from a friend whose niece attended the school that it has a very good reputation.
I visited the school on 23 September 2019 to meet Nisreen, or 'Teacher...
Below are extracts from interviews that appeared in 'Beloved Syria', Second Edition, 2017
How do you recognise that someone is Syrian?Â
Definitely, Syrians are famous for their good treatment and nice welcome for guests or even for strangers. Syrians are collaborative people; they love to help others and defend them if they are their friends. They are characterised as being loyal...
Interview with Lubna, recorded by Susan Dirgham in 2010
Extract:
In regard to women’s issues and the equality of the sexes, what are some of the differences of opinion in Syria?
You have a whole range of opinions. For example, men are demanding their rights, like to be equal to the women! They are saying, like, women have more rights than...