Word: syria
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...Even in Syria, however, rug buying can be intimidating for the beginner. Innumerable variations of region, style and quality make establishing the value of any particular rug daunting. And then there's the relentless bazaar bargaining that can turn any transaction a microcosmic "clash of cultures" between in which straight-forward, naïve Westerners imagine themselves being conned by wily, opaque "Orientals...
...good place to shop for rugs, ever since Silk Road travelers from the great weaving cultures of Central Asia passed through this final arc of the fertile crescent on their way to the Holy lands. Those days are long gone, but Iranian pilgrims visiting Shi'ite Muslim shrines in Syria still sometimes bring in rugs as a way to circumvent Tehran's restrictions on taking hard currency out of the Islamic Republic...
...wars and upheavals of the 20th century have largely destroyed the nomadic herding cultures that created these wonderful rugs. And although the Antiques Roadshow hasn't shown up in Damascus yet, the heavy hand of globalization has almost finished scouring the souks of Syria for all that is old and good, and shipped it off for sale in antiseptic showrooms in London, New York, and Dubai. The rugs offered to you in the souks of the Middle East are almost certainly the best you will ever see, artifacts from a time when humans made things of meaning and value...
...streets of Beirut and other cities to demand the withdrawal of the Syrian troops that had been garrisoned in the country for decades, as Damascus acted as the dominant influence in Lebanese politics. Despite the withdrawal of its troops and the creation of the pro-Western government, Syria has continued to exert political influence through Hizballah, Lebanon's largest political party also backed by Iran, and its Christian allies under General Michel Aoun...
...policy on Syria for most of the Bush Administration's tenure has been one of malign neglect, although lately Washington has been imposing greater political and economic pressure in the hope of changing Syrian behavior in Lebanon, as well as its role as a transit route for Iraqi insurgents and its support for Palestinian militants. The Syrian regime appears unmoved. And that's unlikely to change for the remainder of the Bush Administration's tenure...