Tag Archives: Syrian civil war

Palmyra's Great Colonnade, photographed in 2007. Alper Çuğun, via Flickr
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Waiting for Syria


Sand continued to drift in through the open doors. The overhead fan swirled the grit into our clothes, hair, eyes, teeth. The women wore their hijabs tight across their faces, their eyes cast down, stealing glances at James and me. It was hard to tell what they thought of us, the only white people at the crossing. Certainly they were suspicious—mostly of me, I sensed, even though my head was also covered.

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Dian Parker is a freelance writer who has published in a number of magazines and literary journals. She is currently working on a collection of narrative nonfiction. Email: dianparker9@gmail.com

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A Free Syrian Army soldier walks down a ruined Aleppo street in 2012. Voice of America, via Wikimedia
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Waiting in Antalya


It’s the late morning, and my wife Mardena and I are headed back to our hostel in Antalya, a city on Anatolia’s southwestern coast. We’ve just returned from a trip to the archeological museum, where we saw a stunning display of Roman mosaics set out under clear glass walkways. As we duck out of the 111-degree heat and into the hostel’s lobby, we come upon a young man, probably in his early twenties, standing with his head craned forward and eyes fixed on a TV mounted high on the wall. A Turkish news report is discussing the war raging in neighboring Syria. The camera footage shows smoke, rubble, and bombed-out buildings, but I have no idea what the reporter is saying. I ask the young man what is happening. “Assad is bombing Homs,” he says, his eyes still on the screen.

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Paul Michelson lives and writes in Davis, California.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also: