Syria, known as the Cradle of Civilization, boasts two cities older than history itself. Both, Aleppo and Damascus vie for the title of oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world. Many human developments trace their roots back to Syria, include such accomplishments are metallurgy, the first written alphabet, agriculture, urban development, and establishing trade routes between east and west.

Mountains, plains, Mediterranean coastline, the life-giving Euphrates River, all are but a few of the natural features marking this diverse and fascinating country. Kurds, Assyrians, Circassians, Arabs, Armenians, Palestinians, and Druze inhabit this crossroads of cultures and continents. From the development of the earliest civilizations, which brought us the first alphabet and records of bookkeeping in the ancient world, to defender of the eastern Mediterranean during the Crusades, Syria has much to offer visitors.

Explore ancient cities such as Palmyra, and hear the story of Queen Zenobia, who dared (and succeeded for a time) to conquer parts of the Roman Empire. When at last the Romans were able to regain the lands lost to Zenobia, they were so fascinated by the mighty Arab queen that they took her back to Rome in gold shackles as a prize of conquest.

Syria has been the subject of numerous conquerors and the perpetrators of almost as many conquests. Damascus was once the capital of the Islamic Arab Empire, and going even further back in time, the ancient mariners of Syria ruled trade routes of the Mediterranean. During the Roman period, Damascus was one of the ten most important cities, and enjoyed special favor during the Syrian dynasty of Roman Emperors.

In most recent history, Syria has been embroiled in internal struggles in its search for a modern identity, and its conflict with neighboring Israel. Once known as Greater Syria, which encompassed modern-day Lebanon and Syria, the Syrian Arab Republic is a relatively young country. It became independent of the French Mandate on April 17th, 1946, setting its current borders, excluding Lebanon, which became a separate country at that time.

Since that time, continued economic and political pressures have led to bouts of unrest and military coups. The final coup came in 1970 when Defense Minister Hafez Al-Assad ousted the leadership and was subsequently elected president in 1971. He was re-reelected as Syria's president in each consecutive election since then until his death in 2000. Economic problems still plague the country, but political unrest has been kept to a minimum. Assad's legacy was not one of prosperity, but of stability. Upon his death in 2000, his son Bashar Al Assad was elected president, and is currently in office.

Stuffed Eggplant (Sheik el Mahsi)

1 large eggplant

1 medium onion (chopped fine)

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tomato (chopped fine)

½ lb ground lamb or beef

1/2 cup cooking oil

½ tsp. Bahar

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. Salt

1 cup tomato sauce

3 clover of garlic -sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 350'F. 

Peel the eggplant- then cut in four lengthwise pieces.  Place the eggplant on a wooden cutting board and salt each piece.  Let settle for about 10 minutes, until you see water on the eggplants - dry with a paper towel.  Now heat up the cooking oil - once it is hot add the eggplants and fry until a golden brown.

Remove from heat and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil.  While you are draining- sauté the pine nuts in a bit of butter until golden brown and remove from heat. 

Now you will sauté the onions slightly until limp, add the meat with the spices (bahar and salt) until the meat is browned and remove from heat.

Take the eggplants and arrange in an 8-inch baking dish with the slit facing up - fill with the stuffing.

Add the tomato sauce with water until you are above the eggplants - add the slivered garlic the diced tomatoes and sprinkle about ¼ tsp. of bahar on the top - cover with foil and cook in a preheated oven for 50 minutes.