Rory's Syrian Journal

Product Description


In July, 2005, Rory Allardice went on a short tour of Syria. Rory had several reasons for this journey.
He had lived close to Syria for many years and had friends and colleagues from there.
Rorys father had been there in 1942 during his commando training in the Second World War, just before embarking on a dangerous raid in Libya and had written about it in his autobiography.
Another reason for the trip was to explore the outstanding archeological sites and to learn more about the history of Syria and its rich culture and its ethnic and religious diversity.
This was a special trip as he was bidding a final farewell to his close friend, Peter McKinney, with whom he had shared many good times and adventures.
This is a record of the trip to a country that has now changed beyond recognition. Sadly, many of the sites and places, which were visited have been vandalized beyond repair and communities that coexisted for hundreds of years have been broken and exiled.


About the Author


Rory Allardice worked in France, Italy, the Soviet Union (Georgia, Armenia and Russia), China, former Czechoslovakia up to the Velvet Revolution, Poland during the round table negotiations and early post Communist years and the UAE. During his stay in Dubai, he travelled to many of the nearby countries and wrote a series of illustrated travel journals, which included his own photographs. He picked up a few languages in his travels and has a keen interest in Celtic and world music. He organised a festival of Celtic music in Poznan, Poland and formed a band there; JRM which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015. He has written journals on Ethiopia, Tanzania, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Cuba, Myanmar (Burma), Jordan, Eastern Anatolia and is presently working on several others.