Azm Palace in Damascus (Photo by Emily O'Dell)
The beautiful interior of Azm Palace in Damascus (Photo by Emily O'Dell)
In my piece “Sharing the Sufis of Syria,” I mention seeing statues of semazens (whirling dervishes)–along with shadow puppets in Azm Palace in Damascus. The building above is one of many on the palace grounds–and it offers a window into the beauty of Islamic architecture in Syria. When I was wandering through the upper halls of the palace, they were largely deserted–though there were many families enjoying the spacious courtyard of the palace below. More than a decade ago, from my earliest days of studying Arabic at Brown, I longed to go and see this palace in Damascus for myself–as my Arabic teacher once lived in Syria and always spoke about it with sweet nostalgia. Walking through the empty halls of this breathtaking palace, I realized what a long road had led me there–and how all of my years of studying Arabic had been totally worth it…
He said, ‘What brings you the most fulfillment?’
I said, ‘The company of the Emperor.’
He said, ‘What do you find there?’
I said, ‘A hundred miracles.’
He said, ‘Why is the palace deserted?’
I said, ‘They all fear the thief.’
He said, ‘Who is the thief?’
I said, ‘The one who keeps me from you.’
— Rumi
