Crac des Chevaliers - (Husn Citidal )

Crac des Chevaliers - (Husn Citidal )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak_des_Chevaliers

Raqqah and Halab March 2007!

Just when you thought it was over, lol, more pics, we went on a surprise trip to halab and Raqqah (pronounced ra'aa in syrian, thought you might want to know, knowledge is power…ooh digression digression…. -- yeah wasn't much of a surprise really -- but I found out at the last second so after pullin a couple of strings got to go, alhamduilalh…was an experience, one I really thank God for. Just a day or two earlier I had my second, third molar taken out! PAAAAIN, I've never felt but this time it was much better then the first time, so I decided to go despite the pain (yes, I'm very proud of my strength and bravery as well :P )--- I reiterate it was awesooome…two day trip! It takes about 4-5hrs to halab and then another 3-4 to Raqqah, give or take an hour. Speaking of raqqah, my Grandfather from my mothers side is married to a syrian from raqqah, his fifth wife, but whose coutin…haha

Anyway, I'll comment on the trip through the pictures…

enjoooy
getting nauseous from all the pics?
gonna try this Picasa mikasaa shukasa web albums things

Raqqah and Halab March 2007

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Houmus is delicious..

Salaaams…more pictures :P this time from Homs, one of Syria's popular cities -- a very good friend of mine, is joining the notorious Syrian Army (one of the most powerful in the world, no exaggeration..really :P) yeah, so he invited me over to his village called 'al-qhur al-qarbiya' a village at the outskirts of what used to be old roman fortress/castle. It was soooo beautiful and refreshing, a long ways from the desert like weather of Damascus…. It luscious green pastures, not to mention its pure and unsullied air, arg…beautiful, especially since I've been living in the city for soo long, and the city is anything but green and luscious, and don't even get me started about the air.

lol hussien is a blackbelt in Karate, Homs is Syria's Karate capital they say, with most of its fighters winning championships..heh, so you can guess how we became good friends, lol wer'e both martial art freaks lol, so we naturally had quite a few sparing matches :P

So without further ado :P


like to start off with the worlds most prized animal...the sacred hemaar
yup, sooo many of donkeys, i had to take pictures... lol, this is Ahmed Kazim and Hussien.... my karate friend is the guy with the black jacket :)
bigfoot in syria...just when you thought it wasn't possible :P

the marvelous olive treee...



now i know i've seen this somewhere, zainab (hussiens little sis) ....
yeah its nabi' Jesus's famous stance :P lol u know some peeps think he was black :P haha (no i'm not one of em)
this is a sort of remix..
more scenic pics..
more donkeys...

we're on top of the old castle ruins...


group pic....
just another hemar!
now this is just mesmerising,...its gotta be the coolest donkey you've ever seen..
this is a grave of some martyr at their local village...victim to sectarian violence
gotta love the scenery
we've made fire...wooohoo
His home....
This zainab, hussien, and shukry

traditional house in the village, its abandoned of course, they no longer live in houses like these but it was interesting to see..
this is some of the village from atop...

Pictures of Canada in Syria!

Cheaaaaaaay khabar?! Shakooo makooooo….! All the usual…these are just some pics from last week, some of mah thai brothers invited me to go on a trip with them to the Bloudan area, near the Lebanese borders….to feel the stupendous thrill of lush white snooooooow! Snow which I've had enough of in Canada, but what am I kiddin it was nice having an occasional snow ball fight ad not to mention Syrian snow is soooooo different from Canadian snow! Really…it is, its got this thing aobut it, I can't really put my finger on it (maybe cause its too cold..but anyway) …yeah, there is something about snow being in a desert that makes it thrilling….well ok no there isn't? but wouldn't be cool if there was? Confused? I certainly am. It was all fun, except that I had a dentist appointment earlier that day, and the dentists maliciously toook my third molar(wisdom tooth, yup, no wisdom here) out, it was huuuuuugee….and it was painful! So between the pain and the occasional coconsciousness, I managed to have a little fun...

Well here check em out, … for those of u sick of seein me (don't blame you, I'm sick of me tooo :P) there are several scenic pics there too…enjoy….

piece

These are the bros, I know you'll have a hard time spotting me in the pic so I'll help u out..from the left Shukree, Hussien, Adam, Baqir, moi, and Dhakir



Notice how the snow is actually white??? Fascinatin isn't it?!





A deleted scene from War of the Worlds! Don't know whats into me here, could be the toooth pain again? ..Me and Hussien doing some serious meditation at the top of the mount, that said there a lot of biblical mountains around here, well purportedly biblical, I don't know how true the reports are…. The grave of Abel amongst others!...
Dis man is the artist, you'll get to see one of his creations soon in the next pic.
LoL sittin in front of the idol they created!, I told em it was harram! But them fellas just wouldn't listen! I think idol worship is hereditary! Bah… lol, we actually had people climb up the mountain to take a picture with the idol! Hahah my lordy! It was toooo funnnny its gonna be a popular tourist halmark soon..give it some time...well untill the snow melts...

That’s it….. Hope ya enjoyed it…

More pics from Souriyya!

Me and mah boy Aaron (harun) -- its gonna be the cover of our soon to be released gospel-jazz-hop cd -- entitled ''Smoke Sheesha or Die Trying" -- its to encourage the youth, at least the ones who listen to our unique gospel-jazz-hop, to smoke and reach enlightenment :P ehee heheh okay well no.. twisted humour? yes, it happens eheh
- Some snapshots of Lady Zaineb (pbuh)'s shrine
- Some more snapshots of Lady Zaineb (pbuh)'s shrine area
Inside the Ummayyad mosque...ancient isnt it? so much Roman influence in its architecture...
Pictures at a different hammam (public baths), called Malik al-Thaher,
arguably one of the oldest in damascus, at least a melenium -- with Ibrahim and Aaron
really beautiful, honestly...nothing could be more relaxing! it was nice way to end the bday :) you really feel like your in a different era hahah, you start speaking classical arabic like you mean it heheheh --- gotta love the hammam experience...you gotta try it :P eheh it sunnah too :P the Imams used to go as well (well, anyway..its more complicated than that isn't it) ...they have a day for women as well...
Some of Ibrahim's boys -- really cool fellas
more pics of the Ummayyad mosque..pics are pretty dark though...
Ibrahim and i blazing it up :P --- okay...just so you don't get any far-streatched ideas, the sheesha thing only rarely happens, maybe once a month or something lol -- after much deliberation its not something to get used to or do on a regular basis...you should listen to our soon to be released cd..


some more pics...Good Sheesha and Zuhorat (flower-tea) -- ah reminds me of the
sheesha controversy in Iran, lol ahah

more...........okay you've had enough lol there are plenty more but these are the more settled ones :P

Old city in Damascus, Hamediya
Aaron ibn Farouqiyo and Ibrahim al-Afghani from the tribes of bani mansour :P
yup....
Old hammam pic....
Our good ol'pal Salah-ed-Din, well not so good really, a great
conqueror but then he has a lot of blood on his hands, he didn't have a
problem slaughtering shia' dissidents (among others), humm and he's
certainly not alone in that today – some things never change?
Souq al-Hamediya - well at least its ceiling
Mr. Salah-e-dins many castles...
more pics of the old city...
ahem..
yup this is syria :) hope you enjoyed em