Marah

Ever since I heard about its exquisite natural terrain and its gorgeous ancient buildings, I have always wanted to visit Turkey. And now, in the most unexpected of times, I finally got the chance to enjoy the beauty of this country.

Turkey was the first stop on our long, illegal journey to Europe. We stayed with some relatives in the European part of Istanbul, and I immediately fell for this magical city. We first visited the Eyup Sultan Mosque, a masterpiece of decoration and construction, which includes the mausoleum of Aby Ayyoub al-Ansari, one of the Prophet Muhammad’s companions. We then took chairlifts to the Pierre Loti Hill, from where we enjoyed the spectacular view of the Golden Horn waterway. After we’d had hot drinks and Turkish bread, we headed back down to the coast, where we watched the ferries, boats, and ducks. The view amazed me and I felt neither the time passing nor the cold weather.

The next day, my relatives took me to Taksim Square, which is a major tourist and leisure district, famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It also contains a monument portraying Kemal Atatürk. We walked in Istiklal Street—which houses various boutiques, cafes and stores, and has a historic tram—and visited the Galata Tower. From there, we went to the Eminönü neighborhood, where we saw a beautiful bridge teeming with fishermen and great seafood restaurants. We took a ferry to the neighborhood of Uskudar, on the Asian side of the city, and spent some time in a park with a beautiful view of the Bosphorus.

My relatives also took me to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, to Hagia Sophia—which was a church, and then a mosque, and is now a museum—and to Gülhane Park and the gorgeous castle next to it. Everything I saw was utterly spectacular. We walked a little, and entered a covered bazaar that reminded me a lot of the al-Hamidiyya bazaar in Damascus.

I do not even have words to describe Turkey. It has everything: Beautiful natural terrain, amazing architecture, delicious Syrian-like food, fish, chocolate, and even dolphin exhibits. I am dazzled by this country and I wish that I did not have to leave.

As much as I enjoyed this tour, I was preoccupied with my dangerous journey to Europe. I kept asking myself, Is this the last place I will ever visit? Tomorrow, I will get on a rubber boat and head to Greece. This beautiful place might be the last that I will ever see. Or it might be the beginning of a new life and many new beautiful places.

I am scared of tomorrow’s journey. I’m not scared that I might die in the sea. What scares me is that I do not know what to expect and I do not know what’s in store for me. Is it heaven? Or is it hell? Wish me luck on my coming journey. ♦

Marah’s diary is produced in collaboration with Syria Deeply, a digital news outlet covering the Syrian crisis. It was translated from the Arabic by Mais Istanbelli.