For the Home Front IV

The plan on Saturday morning was to go to Baalbeck. But that was until we got to the gas station. There was no gas. What do mean, no gas? No gas . Not even for me? Not even for you. Hmmmm. Go explain that to a visitor from Holland. So Baalbeck was out of the question because we could get there, but not return. And so a different route was calculated with the amount of gas we had left in our tank. It’s a humble reminder that our dependency on fossil fuel is ridiculous.

Saida Souq

And so Baalbeck was changed into Saida (Sidon in English).


I’m glad there was a gas crisis. We walked around the old souq, a traditional market,  and I discovered that it was much larger than I had thought. It’s a veritable labyrinth of narrow little alley ways, sometimes dark, sometimes lit, some with little workshops, others with little courts, small mosques, houses and sometimes a little school. It is also known as the ‘souq el Atme’, the dark souq. I makes sense since most of it is covered. What is absolutely wonderful about the place is that is an actual ‘living’ souq. This is not one renovated for the tourist (although I am sure this may have helped) with one tourist shop after another; this is a place that is actually being used and inhabited by the local population. The workshops are occupied by traditional tradesmen.

The butcher is in the back washing the stomachs of the rams.

The baker getting the bread ready for the over (behind him).

Pastry maker cutting the pastry in squares.

The quilt maker stitching the blankets.

There are butchers and barbers, and pastry shops. There are carpenters and quilt makers, mattress fillers, traditional tea houses, a gold quarter and an alley where they only sell lingerie. The houses above the souq are where the merchants live, regular families. It is an actual working ‘souq’.

We walked around for quite a bit, asking if we could make pictures, and people were extremely accommodating. Parts of the souqs are still being repaired. The pavement is being fixed, and the stucco being taken off the walls to show the original stones. The Audi soap museum is a good example of the old architecture. But a verge large section of the old city market is fixed, and very nice to stroll through.