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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, August/September 2021, pp. 63-64
Middle East Books Review
The Adventures of Laila and Ahmed in Syria
By Nushin Alloo, Illustrated by Shadia Kassem, Beauty Beneath the Rubble, 2018, hardcover, 60 pp. MEB $28
Reviewed by Samir Twair
This delightful children’s book takes the reader back through the long, rich history of Syria. The Adventures of Laila and Ahmed begin with the discovery of a book in a wooden chest in their parents’ bedroom. Laila explains to her little brother Ahmed that the book is not just any old book. “It's Rihla [voyage], Grandpa’s travel journal, where he wrote about all his adventures from Morocco to China, and...it’s magical.” Grandpa is none other than Ibn Battuta, the famous 14th-century Moroccan traveler! His travelogue is full of stories, maps and drawings of the places he visited.
Tucked inside the book, Grandpa placed a note for his grandchildren to follow his clues that will lead them to a “gift in a faraway land.” Those clues provide fun facts about Syria’s history and culture that are overlooked by present-day readers who are only familiar with war-torn Syria.
The first of Shadia Kassem’s rich oil-painted illustrations is a map of Syria with all the modern/old cities and their landmarks, painted in desert-gold colors. Blending delightful images and the magic of Nushin Alloo’s storytelling, the reader follows the children as they venture to each ancient city of Syria. The two children look for old papers or ask friendly people, as well as a very smart camel to give them the clues they need to find castles and cities.
Laila and Ahmed ride camels in the desert to find Krak des Chevaliers, a castle built by Crusaders that could fit as many as 2,000 soldiers inside its walls. Then, they find a one-of-a-kind market in Aleppo that was once part of the ancient Silk Road. They visit Hama of the famous hundreds-of-years-old waterwheels and then journey to the city of Palmyra, the oasis in the desert. On their way to the city of Damascus, they stop by the little town of Maaloula, where the people speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ.
The children travel through the hills to Damascus until they reach Mount Qasioun where they recite a rhyme from Grandpa’s stories: “Approaching the city, I climbed Mount Qasioun gazing across in the light of the moon. They say great prophets once stood in this place, admiring the city across time and space.”
The adventurers see Souq Al-Hamidiyah, the Great Umayyad Mosque and Bab Touma with its churches in the Old City of Damascus. In the old city, they enjoy a feast. Nearing the end of the book, Ahmed remarks, “No treasure? I thought all adventures had treasure.”
Ibn Battuta’s final note in his travel book is, “My gift to you both is a love for this Earth and thankfulness for all that it’s worth. Your travels have served to open your minds to people and places of all different kinds.”
Laila remarks, “Oh, I see. The adventure is the treasure! The gift from Grandpa was our adventure.”
Laila and Ahmed return home in no time. Plop—they land back where their journey began and tell their mama all about their adventures in Syria. After mama puts them to bed she asks herself, “Could it be true? Did the children really travel to Syria through a book?”
Pick up this book for an adventurous child so you can travel together to pre-war Syria. On the way you may revive your own hopes for a post-war nation with a glorious heritage.
Samir Twair is past president of the Arab American Press Guild and a correspondent for the Washington Report.
