Arriving to Aleppo during Eid wasn't the greatest idea. Everything was closed, and it was rainy every day. That's why I only have a few pictures. It was finally sunny today so I went out a bit, checked out the Souqs and went up to the citadel. Ok, so memorable experiences. Walking through the Souq in the part where they kill the goats. There was a river of blood running down the cobbled street into the sewer. You had to step over various goats in different stages of being slaughtered and cleaned in order to pass by. They kill them by cutting their throats. That is the only way they can kill them according to Islam. Hence the term "Halal" prepared meat. Meat that is killed and prepared in accordance with Islamic doctrine. The highlight of my couple day rainy trip in Aleppo has to be standing on the top of the citadel overlooking the city during the call to prayer. Ok, for those of you who don't know. In Islam, you are required to pray five times a day. They "call" you to prayer via the loudspeakers on the minarets. That's the "Allah Akbar" thing you hear in the movies. The cool part was hearing it from at least two dozen mosques at once. I filmed it because it was such a unique experience. Sensory overload. On top of that, the view was nice too. You saw the different styles of minarets as they jutted up through the urban landscape. The Ottoman style, with the thin tall Minarets. Then you have the square, short Minarets that are associated with the Ubayyads of Damascus. It's been a rainy, cold, and crappy few days but the goat gut fest and the Call to Prayer from the commanding view of the Citadel made it all worthwhile. I'm taking off early tommorow and winging it to Turkey. I'll make it to Antakya at least, but I'd love to make it to Konya in one day if possible. Here's the link to my Call to Prayer video. http://www.facebook.com/v/64520019936
