Wallid
By Susan (L’06)

“So, please, kullu quiess? As we say, everything good?”

And so began all of our days in Syria, under the patient care of Walid Aswad, the guide for Max’s groups since METS first went to Syria in 1989. As he has done for so many years, Walid, “a master tour guide” (Brian), “a quiet presence” (Jason S), “awesome” (Jason D), helped acclimate the 2006 METS group to the culture of the Middle East. Through hundreds of small gestures, he made our visit comfortable, fun and enlightening.

Walid and his wife Souher are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters, Heba, 15 (Arabic for “Gift”), Wala’a, 13 (“Loyalty”) and Ula, 8 (“Glory”). He became a tour guide in 1986 after studying history and archaeology at the University of Damascus for five years and completing an additional 1 1/2 year guide course. Walid has adopted an inclusive approach to the history and culture of Syria. “Information about Babylonians and Sumerians can be boring,” he said, “you need to explain the meaning of ideas, of social life, family life today, religion, politics.” METS participants all agreed that Walid does just that. As Chris said, “Walid has the knowledge to provide information, the charisma to communicate it and the kindness to make it personal.”

A recounting of our day with Walid in Palmyra illustrates the care and affection he has for METS travelers and Syria’s heritage. Before the 2006 group could visit a reconstructed tower tomb on the outskirts of Palmyra, Walid first had to track down the man who had the keys to the tomb (and yes, this man really has a gigantic key ring with keys to various tombs – his family has been the keeper of the keys for generations). As we were about to enter the magnificent underground Tomb of the Three Brothers, Walid, in his understated way, told us that we were about to see “another interesting thing.” Another interesting thing indeed – he thoughtfully explained the beautiful frescoes, the incredibly detailed tomb reliefs, and the haunting tomb curtains, which he described as “of course, a good idea.” Later, while the METS group wandered like stray cats around the Temple of Bel, Walid waited patiently, an amused smile on his face; when the group was finally herded, he described with great enthusiasm the architecture and religious artifacts of that Roman temple, placing them in context with current religious practices. As we left the Temple, Walid jokingly said, “You will remember Palmyra and you will remember Walid.” The day ended with a sunset worship service at the Crusader castle overlooking Palmyra. During the service, Walid chatted with the keeper of the keys to that castle, until Max finally told the group, in the way that only Max can, “Let’s go, this guy has kept his castle open long enough.”

Walid has been so careful in his work with the last fourteen METS trips that he has few stories about missteps or misadventures. He did describe what he called his worst decision, which occurred on the 1996 trip to Saladin’s Castle in Lattakia. The castle was in sight and the roads were poor, so Walid suggested that everyone get off the bus and walk “20 minutes” to the castle. Over one hour later, after a steep descent and even steeper ascent, the group reached the castle. Ever diligent, Walid managed to get minibuses to pick up the bedraggled group for the ride back to the bus. The fact that an unexpected hike was the worst thing to have happened in 14 years of traveling in Syria is a testament to Walid’s competence and talent.

In southern Syria, our METS group visited with a traditional farming family. The grandfather of that family described to us how he got out of mandatory military service, using both the universal gesture of rubbing his thumb and fingertips together and a Syrian hikma, or wise saying: “Pay the money, get the bride.” When asked if his own father taught him any such hikmas, Walid said that his father taught him that it’s better not to lie, not to steal and to “be shy in front of people – don’t shout, be calm, be quiet.” When asked what his father would say about the folks on Max’s bus (who were definitely not shy in front of people or calm or quiet), Walid, with a twinkle in his eye, gently said, “of course, that’s different.” He learned his father’s lessons well.

Walid describes himself as “a Syrian citizen with a Palestinian heart.” Both his mother’s and his father’s families were shopkeepers in Haifa. His father fled Haifa by boat in 1947 and went first to Lebanon, then to Syria. While very circumspect about the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the status of the Syrian government, Walid does believe that “all of us here, as Syrians and Palestinians, are looking for peace for tomorrow, but peace with rights.” When pressed about what exactly that means, Walid replied only that he does not think there can be peace without a Palestinian state and that there needs to be an “acceptable solution.” I asked Walid what he would like to say to all his former METS travelers. He wants everyone “to remember Syria...a country with a very old history but also with a future.” And when you remember Syria, remember Walid.

“So, please, kullu quiess? As we say, everything good?”

“Kullu taman. Everything is great.”