Photos

There's a moutain towering over Damascus called Jebel Qasioun - a popular place among the Damascenes and tourists alike to watch the sunset over the city. You can't go to the very top of it, but stop somewhere half its height, where several (rather pricy) open- air restaurants stretch along the road and offer gorgeous views of Damascus and the desert far in the east. You can just as well choose one of the public benches and enjoy it for free:-)
Legend has it that prophet Mohammed, as well as Saint Mary and Joseph were on the mountain, and- I'm not sure if I remember correctly- that those who manage to be there on judgment day will be saved...bear that in mind:-)

So this is a view from the mountain- the green spots are the lights from minarets- it's a colour "reserved" for them. Where the city lights end, desert begins...