After collecting Monsieur Abdul at a cafe near the archeaology museum, we headed back west.





The Qala'at Shmaimis, a 13th century Ayyubid fortification overlooking the Orontes Valley.


The Ismaili town of Salamiyeh. Dreary as it may seem, this photo does give a pretty good idea of what the average Syrian town looks like.
I couldn't quite put together all of the threads, but Abdul talked for a while about this town, and about the Ismailis and how they are the descendants of the Assassin sect and this is one of the last places that they are found in any concentration. Sometimes history seems like string theory, there are just too many layers and levels and vectors and overlappings for my mind to comprehend.


And so we arrived back in Hama. I walked around the town center, taking in the waterwheels and the mosque. I strolled through the parks and had a beer at the Cham Palace. After dinner and tea I returned to my room and slept the sleep of the just.