Turks everywhere

Today is the last day of the Eid-el-Adha. In Syria they made 4 days of it instead of 3. I wonder whether they did that also in the other countries.

Anyway, it started on Tuesday. The first and second day were the most important ones. There were no micro buses to the village, but as always you find someone to take you along without even looking for it. You just have to mention to your friends and acquaintances that you would like to go somewhere and word will reach you on who is going on the same day and whether you want to join them.

The Eid is like the 1st of January in Belgium. Family is visiting one another, especially on the 1st day. The children get money. And, of course, everywhere where you visit a table full of sweets and plenty of food is served to you. And it is impossible to refuse. It is the Eid, after all.

I've spent 2 days in the village and learnt there that the Turkish-Syrian border is open during the Eid to allow families to visit each other easily. Through history the border has been changing and in the past a big part of Eastern Turkey was part of Syria.

So, we tried to drive to a town near the Turkish border to go to a souk where a lot of Turkish merchandise is sold, but the police had blocked the road. It seems that this year the border is only open for Turkish people. Because, there are many here.

Yesterday evening, I arrived in Aleppo and a lot of shops are open. 99% of the customers are Turks buying tons of food and cloths. Everything is a lot cheaper here.

Will go and have a walk in the Christian area now. To see how the ambiance is over there.