The World's Aaron Schachter takes a walk through the Old City in Damascus, Syria to see how efforts to attract more people is transforming the traditional feel of this ancient marketplace.
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LISA MULLINS: First though, the Old City of Damascus is one of the best preserved examples of how life in the Middle East used to be. But now some in Syria fear the Old City is losing its charm as it tries to cater to tourists. The World's Aaron Schachter reports from the Syrian capital.
AARON SCHACHTER: In the Souk Methat Basha on Straight Street, it isn't hard to imagine Damascus the way it used to be. The wide street is still made of cobblestones; shoppers compete with pushcarts and bicycles for space; the rows of shops are more like cubby holes than real stores, selling olive oil soap, spices from the Far East, oriental carpets and old brass lamps. But the local clientele is rapidly dwindling. Damascus has just opened yet another shiny new mall, the city's fifth. Nader Darkal's family has been selling spices and natural remedies on this street for 250 years. He says people these days seem to prefer western stores and food courts over the Old City. Darkal says my business isn't really down, because tourists are replacing regular customers. I definitely see a change in clientele, but this place, Souk Mathat Basha, is very famous - and so is my shop - so people will always come. People are coming to the Old City. In fact, they're flocking here. Just a few years ago there was a handful of upscale restaurants and a single boutique hotel launched by a Syrian entrepreneur. Now restaurants are everywhere. And chains are opening fancy hotels in renovated Damascene houses. Wahed Mhana is the creator of a foundation aimed at saving the old city called "The Heart of Damascus". He worries that the world's oldest inhabited city will soon become just a tourist trap. More shops catering to tourists mean fewer places where residents can buy groceries, or medicine.
MHANA: If we don't care about Syrian people, about Damascene people, what will happen? We'll start to lose inhabitants quickly.
AARON SCHACHTER: But some are perfectly happy to see the Old City change. Mohammed Hani Hallaf has had a shop here for 30 years, and he's ecstatic. Hallaf says I also have a factory that makes oriental handicrafts, so all the new tourist stores will buy from me. I'd love for the Old City here to become like the Khan Khalili market in Cairo - a showplace for tourists. But the new restaurants here also cater to Damascus residents as well; they're not just for tourists, he says. But others say a delicate balance needs to be struck. Rampant commercialism isn't the answer, but neither is leaving things the way they were. Naim Zabita says two decades ago the Old City was a dump.
NAIM ZABITA: People started wanting to leave the old town, but nobody was interested in buying. Now it's the other way around completely; the houses have become very, very expensive. And the same people, the same inhabitants are now wanting to leave because they're getting very good price for their houses.
AARON SCHACHTER: Zabita is an architect who has helped renovate numerous old houses, including the original boutique hotel. He says the city is working on a master plan to balance competing commercial and residential interests. But the fact is the historic old city will change.
ZABITA: It's not correct to leave the life as it was before just because tourists would like to see it as it is. We're not in a zoo here. This is life, and life is in continuous progress. People would like to make money. People would like to feel that they're living the modern life.
AARON SCHACHTER: Zabita doesn't want to compromise on at least one thing: he's working hard to ensure that people who do renovate old buildings adhere to the look and feel of the ancient city. And that's become easier to do over the past few years. Because of the renovation boom in the Old City craftsmen are producing more and more products to make the renovated buildings look like the real thing. For The World, I'm Aaron Schachter, Damascus.
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