Damascus

Seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling and hearing - if you join Rafiq Shami andis sister Marie Fadel on a stroll through their native Damascus, you williscover this Queen of the Orient with all your senses. Rafiq Shami,ward-winning writer and master storyteller, describes the colourful scenesf the old town and relays the stories of its inhabitants overheard in theoffee houses. Reading his prose one seems to be able to smell the cardamomnd the coriander sold in the spice market and hear the cries of streetraders. Inspired by his stories, one can follow his sister Marie Fadel'secipes and recreate the tastes of the Orient.