- What to bring fragrant from Syria?
- Soap from Aleppo
- Precious souvenirs
- Jewelry for men and women
Not every tourist who dreams of traveling to an oriental fairy tale will agree today to travel through the Syrian cities and towns, even for the sake of the famous Palmyra. Hopefully, very little time will pass, and local residents will again be able to receive guests from abroad, present their ancient history, rich culture, works of art by ancient masters and their modern followers. Let's try to answer the question of what to bring from Syria so that you can really surprise your family and friends.
What to bring fragrant from Syria?
The most precious thing in Syria, however, as well as in neighboring Middle Eastern countries, is saffron. This is the most famous and valuable spice. In order for the dish to acquire a light spicy aroma and a stunning golden hue, just a few grains are enough. Saffron or zaafaran are crocus stamens that are harvested by hand at dawn, until the moment the sun rises.
In the Syrian markets, you can see golden yellow mountains of this spice, the quality of products can be determined even by a layman - by the presence of light yellow threads, the fewer such threads in saffron, the higher the quality. The most expensive saffron has a different shade - lilac, it comes from Iran, it is sold packaged in small bags.
Other aromatic and tasty products in Syria include coffee with cardamom or sweets. Due to the presence of cardamom, the drink acquires an extraordinary spicy aroma, and it becomes incomprehensible how it was possible to drink regular coffee before. The same applies to sweets, after a trip to Syria, tasting nougat, marshmallows or sweets soaked in coffee, the guest understands that the products in their home market passed off as oriental sweets are infinitely far from ideal.
Soap from Aleppo
Handmade soap is a kind of national brand; the production of an important hygiene product in Syria began many centuries ago, and today they carefully preserve ancient traditions, use herbal ingredients. The most famous soap is produced in Aleppo using sodium bicarbonate and olive fruits, from which the product acquires a pleasant olive hue. Aloe juice is also added to the soap, so the antibacterial effect and cosmetic care are provided.
During production, a "hot method" is used, the cooking process lasts three days. At the end, bay leaves are added to the mass, and the soap acquires an unforgettable aroma. Then a layer is formed on wax paper, cut into bars, which remain "ripen" for several months in the open air. The soap retains its beneficial properties and aroma, but changes color from olive to golden beige. Fragrant pieces become a good gift for the fair half of humanity.
Precious souvenirs
Syrian craftsmen offer tourists real works of art made of wood: caskets; trays; pieces of furniture. They are “precious” not because gold or silver was used in their manufacture, but because they were made with great skill, richly decorated with national ornaments, traditional patterns and symbols, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
When selling, traders call sky-high prices, but experienced travelers advise not to rush to get their hard-earned money. Bargaining is appropriate, and even necessary, many sellers respect the guest who knows how to knock down the price beautifully, although they themselves behave very emotionally - they shout, knock on the table, “lament” about the buyer's greed. The result of the transaction - everyone is happy, the buyer, who reduced the cost by half and received a beautiful souvenir with a national character, the seller, that the amount received still exceeds the real price of the product.
An excellent investment of a tourist's money, both literally and figuratively, are wallets made by hand by local craftswomen. The base is tanned camel skin, the top of the product is richly decorated with embroidery, gold, silver threads, as well as threads of emerald and indigo colors, the most popular in the culture of Islam, are used. Rich ornaments, intricate oriental patterns, Muslim symbols turn an ordinary wallet into a real masterpiece.
Jewelry for men and women
A truly masculine gift - a dagger made of Damascus steel, production secrets have not been disclosed for centuries, passed from teacher to student. The dagger itself surprises not only with the sharpness of the blade, but also with the handle, richly decorated with patterns.
Women will love Syrian gold jewelry, which has an amazing whitish hue due to its high brass content. Silver jewelry, large, massive, reminiscent of old ones, complemented by precious and semi-precious stones, is even more popular with foreign tourists. Everyone will find their Syrian gift!
