Damascus Local Custom Tips by maykal

As Islamic countries go, Syria is a fairly relaxed place, maybe due to the large Christian minority. However, to avoid offending any Muslims you meet, here are a few tips....Shake hands with men, but not with women, unless they offer you their hand. Don't bring any food to your mouth with your left hand, and offer someone something with your left hand...the right hand is used for eating, the left is used for something completely different!! Don't sit with your legs crossed, as showing the sole of your foot is rude. If you are invited to someone's house, take your shoes off if you see that your hosts have taken theirs off. In mosques, take your shoes off to enter the prayer hall. It is better to visit mosques outside prayer times, and be careful about taking pictures of people praying. With pictures, many Syrians love having their photograph taken, and will ask you. But there are always some (especially women) who will object...always ask first before taking people's photos. In Damascus, I noticed that some Christian Syrians objected to being greeted with the Muslim greeting 'as-salaam aleikum', so if you are unsure about someone's religion, stick to 'Marhaba' or let them greet you first and copy. In Ramadan, during the day when Muslims are fasting, don't eat or drink in the street (although this doesn't really apply to the Christian areas of Damascus, where during Ramadan people tend to eat in the street more than normal!!!).

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No-one (male or female) wears shorts in Damascus. Women need to cover up, but don't need to cover their hair. There are no set rules, and you can wear what you want, but if you wear tight and revealing clothes, you'll get a lot of unwanted attention, and (depending on what you wear) you might offend a lot of people too. Dress modestly...shirts (with sleeves for women), trousers/jeans, etc... I have seen many tourists not following these simple guidelines, the worst being a group of Australian girls dressed as if they were on Bondi Beach, moaning about all the attention they were getting. Basically, just look around and see what Syrians are wearing...it makes sense, too, to dress similarly, because then you can visit mosques without worrying if you are suitably dressed.

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