Krak des Chevaliers
Atop a high ridge in western Syria, one can find Krak des Chevaliers (translated as Fortress of the Kurds”), a well-preserved medieval castle with a fascinating history. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006 and is protected and documented by both UNESCO and a Syrian government agency called Directorate of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM)
The Grand Palais in France developed an online exhibit about the history of Krak des Chevaliers for Google Arts and Culture. You can learn more and take a close look at photos, maps, and other primary resources related to the site.
If you’re interested in the castle’s architectural design, check out this clip below from the Smithsonian Channel’s video East Meets West: Islam and the Renaissance.
Recommended Reading
The Library has so many different items in its collection to do with castles, fairytales, and the locations we visit in these blog posts. You can search for these items and place a hold at dcls.org!
The Aleppo Cookbook: Celebrating the Legendary Cuisine of Syria by Marlene Matar
https://dcls-mt.iii.com/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1352745__Ssyria__Ff%3Afacetcollections%3A11%3A11%3AAll%20Adult%20Material%3A%3A__P0%2C8__Orightresult__U__X4?lang=eng&suite=cobalt
It is hardly surprising that Aleppo, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, is also home to one of the world’s most distinguished and vibrant cuisines. Surrounded by fertile lands and located at the end of the Silk Road, which passed through Central Asia and Mesopotamia, Aleppo was a food capital long before Paris, Rome, or New York. Its diverse communities of Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, and others contributed to its culinary traditions and produced a vast selection of different types of dishes – and no less than 20 kinds of kibbeh recipes. Here, one of the Arab world’s most renowned chefs unlocks the secrets to this distinctive cuisine in this comprehensive cookbook filled with practical guidance on Middle Eastern cooking techniques as well as step-by step explanations of over 200 irresistible recipes, such as Chili and Garlic Kebab, Syrian Fishcakes, Lamb Stuffed Eggplants, Semolina and Butter pudding, and the queen of the mezze table, Red Pepper and Walnut Spread. Divided into 15 chapters, traditional cooking and preservation methods go hand-in-hand with modern combinations of flavors and today’s desire for healthful and natural meals.
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone. This short and beautifully illustrated book comes from the bestselling author of The Kite Runner is a powerful read.
Death is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa, translated by Leri Price
Abdel Latif, an old man from the Aleppo region, dies peacefully in a hospital bed in Damascus. His final wish, conveyed to his youngest son, Bolbol, is to be buried in the family plot in their ancestral village of Anabiya. Though Abdel was hardly an ideal father, and though Bolbol is estranged from his siblings, this conscientious son persuades his older brother Hussein and his sister Fatima to accompany him and the body to Anabiya, which is–after all–only a two-hour drive from Damascus. There’s only one problem: Their country is a war zone. With the landscape of their childhood now a labyrinth of competing armies whose actions are at once arbitrary and lethal, the siblings’ decision to set aside their differences and honor their father’s request quickly balloons from a minor commitment into an epic and life-threatening quest. Syria, however, is no longer a place for heroes, and the decisions the family must make along the way–as they find themselves captured and recaptured, interrogated, imprisoned, and bombed–will prove to have enormous consequences for all of them.
Displaced by Dean Hughes
Thirteen-year-old Hadi Toma and his family are displaced. At least that’s what the Lebanese government calls them and the thousands of other Syrian refugees that have flooded into Beirut. But as Hadi tries to earn money to feed his family by selling gum on the street corner, he learns that many people who travel the city don’t think they’re displaced—they think that they don’t belong in this country either. Each day he hears insults, but each day he convinces himself they don’t matter, approaching the cars again and again. He hardly dares to dream anymore that this might change.
But then Hadi meets Malek, who has been instructed to work on the same corner. Malek, who talks about going to school and becoming an engineer. But Malek is new to the streets, and Kamal, the man who oversees many of the local street vendors, tells Malek he must work the corner…alone. And people who don’t follow Kamal’s orders don’t last long.
Now Hadi is forced to make a choice between engaging in illegal activities or letting his family starve. Can the boys find a way out of their impossible situation, or will the dream of something greater than their harsh realities remain stubbornly out of reach?
That’s it for our summer series of Armchair Traveler. Check back in September to see where we travel to next!
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