THE LOCALS WILL TELL YOU THIS IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY INHABITED CITY IN THE WORLD.IT’S SEEN EMPIRES RISE AND FALL, INVADERS COME AND GO.AND HERE, IN THE HEART OF THE OLD CITY, IS WHERE MAYA MAMARBASHI IS BUILDING ONE OF THE FIRST BOUTIQUE HOTELS IN DAMASCUS.

Natsot – hammering, building work

Old Damascene courtyard homes are now rare commodities. After years of neglect, these are now in hot demand.

CLIP: MAYA MAMARBASHI What's special about them is every house has a history. Every house has a family who lived there and there is no house which is exactly the same like the others. (out) More work, maybe Maya talking to workerIt took Mrs Mamarbashi years to find a house that someone was wiling to sell. She’s spent 2 years remodelling it, fastidiously replicating ancient techniques of building and craftsmanship.Incredibly, much of the internal artwork remained intact. These frescoes are nearly 200 years old.

Clip: It’s the only house in Damascus which has Christian frescoes. So you have the Virgin Mary and angel here. You have the Christ here, with the bible open and a part of that, it’s a very rococo style.Transforming this building is a way of preserving Syrian craftsmanship and history.

BUT IT ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING FAR MORE IMPORTANT – A BELIEF THAT SYRIA IS CHANGING, OPENING UP TO THE WEST FOLLOWING DECADES OF REPRESSION.AFTER ALL, IF YOU’RE GOING TO BUILD A HOTEL CATERING FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THEY’RE GOING TO COME.

ACTUALLY, WE ARE NOT AT ALL THE FIGURE THAT THE MEDIA IS GIVING FOR US. EVERYBODY WHO COMES HERE IS ALWAYS SURPRISED AND WANTS TO COME BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN.

BUT THAT’S NOT A WIDELY HELD VIEW OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY.THE UNITED STATES ACCUSES SYRIA OF PROVIDING SHELTER AND FREE PASSAGE TO IRAQI RADICALS AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS, THIS, WHILE RESPRESSING POLITICAL FREEDOM AT HOME.

Just as in Iraq, the cult of the leader has been all encompassing. Some say Hafez al Assad was Saddam’s equivalent. Since his death five years ago, his Western-educated son Bashar has been President.The roots of totalitarian rule run deep, but Syrian society is changing ever so slowly.

…ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT IN DAMASCUS.

WELL, YES, I THINK THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE AIR THAT, HOPEFULLY, SHOWS THE ATMOSPHERE IS IMPROVING BETWEEN THE US AND SYRIA. BUT FROM OUR SIDE, FROM THE SYRIAN SIDE, WE HAVE ALWAYS WORKED FOR A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S., AND I REALLY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY GOOD REASON FOR RELATIONS NOT TO BE GOOD.

The alleys of the Old City are full of monuments illuminating Damascus’ tumultuous history.

IT IS THIS RICH HISTORY SYRIANS LIKE MAYA WANT THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL EMBRACE. BUT OTHERS ARE DRAWN HERE FOR A VERY DIFFERENT SIDE TO THIS COMPLEX NATION.

In a Damascus suburb, Omar and his wife Fatima, take a ride up the holy mountain to join other members of their Naqshbandi Sufi sect in prayer.PauseIt’s a low-key gathering. Practitioners of Islamic mysticism – were once persecuted.But in Syria today, they’ve found a measure of religious tolerance.

Twice a week, the Naqshbandi Sufis come together in a vigorous chanting session – known as a Zikr. Omar – was a New York film-maker. His real name is James McConnell. He converted 15 years ago.Longish Natsot – Invoking God’s name, the chanting rises to a crescendo.It’s an emotional process which binds diverse backgrounds.PauseThe Sufis here are foreign converts to Islam who’ve ignored the advice of their governments to travel here.

Omar, calls himself a patriotic American and says his faith teaches him not to criticism his government or country.Even so, he believes the neglect of spirituality causes many of the world’s current problems.

Clip: There's very little humility left in the world. We have to understand that we’re nothing, we’re absolutely nothing and it’s our egos that are driving us towards this animal behaviour today.”
Khadija is a relatively new convert. She’s formerly Suzanna from Mullumbimby, northern New South Wales.

Clip: KHADIJA )My family in Australia said to me, please don’t go to Syria, you know it’s not safe, we all know it’s not safe. And I have been here for a month and I have never felt safer. I have never felt in more sacred a place Her family had difficulty coming to terms with her conversion. Like many Australians, she said, they were ignorant of Islam.

Clip: KHADIJA: Because they haven’t had the correct information, and there has been a lot of propaganda, negative propaganda, especially since 9/11 and fear, fear, fear, you know, changes people, sadly enough. Fear and ignorance.

BUT FOR SYRIANS, FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF LIFE.SYRIANS ARE STILL SUBJECT TO STATE OF EMERGENCY LAWS, LIMITING THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH.ON THE SURFACE, MANY SAY THEY’RE CONTENT, BUT OTHERS SAY REPRESSION AND PERSECUTION IS STILL THE ORDER OF THE DAY.

We met two recent university graduates to talk about their lives and expectations.They didn’t want their identities revealed.

Clip: “JAFAR” You can’t speak about political things, I mean, they captured or I mean they arrested many students recently because of politics…(out)

CLIP: “SAMIR” (ARABIC)We can talk a lot about it with our friends in detail about the situation and even the government knows this, but we can’t say it in front of a camera because to the government it would be seen as criticism.

Jane: why are we speaking to your shadows? Do you think something could happen?

a lot. I mean, If I am more courageous, maybe I will risk my life, but I have brothers, I have mother and I have sisters. I have family, so its not only to risk your life. I mean, if I am very courageous, but I am not.

Others.. like retired philosophy professor Sadik Al Azem.. are equally pessimistic.His family once governed Damascus and so he’s able to criticise the regime and get away with it.

CLIP: SADIK AL AZEM The best case scenario for me in my view is that if the Syrian powers that be, the Syrian regime itself slowly peads the movement towards greater opening, more civil liberties, more freedoms and so on, this would be the best case scenario for Syria (butt – next bit comes a few lines later)But you know, there are all sorts of good intentions expressed but we have not seen much of it really.

Natsot- story teller- Hakawati

In Syria.. history often repeats itself.

Here the last of an old age breed of story tellers or Hakawati recounts tales of Arab heroism when Muslim armies battled the rusaders.

NatsotThe sword comes down to cut off the head of an enemy.The story resonates well with the audience because it has a familiar ring.Syrians believe their world is under siege by the might of George W. Bush and his modern crusaders.

And their government is adept at deflecting criticism about its record of repression.

Clip: Bothaina Sha(English) The so called war on terrorism is causing other occupation of countries in the region, causing more violence, causing more terrorism causing more chaos actually in our region.

FOR PROFESSOR SADIK, THE BATTLE OF WILLS WITH GEORGE BUSH OVER HIS WAR ON TERRORISM HAS SIMPLY BECOME AN EXCUSE TO DELAY REAL REFORMS AT HOME…

CLIP:THESE PRESSURES BECOME A PRETEXT FOR SAYING LOOK, THE SHIP OF STATE IS UNDER SEIGE, WE ARE IN A STORMY SEA, IT IS A ROUGH PATCH, HOW CAN YOU ASK US TO INTRODUCE SUCH CHANGES, LIFT MARTIAL LAW AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO IT BECOMES PART OF THE INTERNAL DEBATE.

FOR BASHAR AL ASSAD, BALANCING THE CONFLICTING DEMANDS WILL BE AS TOUGH AS ANYTHING THE ANCIENT CAPITAL HAS FACED IN ITS THREE THOUSAND YEAR HISTORY.YET HISTORY SUGGEST DAMASCUS WILL SURVIVE THIS ONSLAUGHT BY ITS CRITICS JUST AS IT HAS SURVIVED OTHERS.