Big Brother

This was Mara's first time in Syria. The chaotic border crossing the night before, the peculiar emptiness of the hotel, and the many public portraits of the president of Syria, including an enormous one hanging over the gate to the ancient black citadel, impressed upon us that we were in a new foreign land. What put Mara on edge were the men in suits. It is not as if Mara had never seen them before but this was different: After we purchased our tickets, we made our way from the entrance through the underground labyrinth --just a bare lightbulb once in a while-- and up toward the middle, then the top of the seating area of the great amphitheater. The corridors were huge and every hundred feet or so, a security man lurked in a corner or a niche, where his dark suit for once was a good form of camouflage. Up in the seating area we could see the security men wearing ear pieces. They were eyeing us. I assured Mara that this was not normal, even for Syria. A helicopter materialized. We surmised that the heavy security was due to the visit of some VIP and asked for confirmation of that theory, which was of course declined. On our way out of the citadel a school group entered. Animated teachers were clapping and loudly leading the kids in chanting something of which the only word I could make out was "Bashar, Bashar," the name of the Syrian president.

When the helicopter took off the security detail disappeared. Mara relaxed and allowed me to take a picture with the strongman and his late father Hafez al-Assad in the background.