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© Ammar Abd Rabbo/ABACA. 51616-30. Aleppo-Syria, October 22 2003. Last day of the visit of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain to Syria. They have breakfast with Syrian president Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma at the bimaristan, a psychatric hospital built in the 14th century, then tour the old souks (markets) of the city before leaving Syria.

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© Ammar Abd Rabbo/ABACA. 51616-30. Aleppo-Syria, October 22 2003. Last day of the visit of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain to Syria. They have breakfast with Syrian president Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma at the bimaristan, a psychatric hospital built in the 14th century, then tour the old souks (markets) of the city before leaving Syria.

Cherry festival held in Lebanon

STORY: Cherry festival held in Lebanon DATELINE: June 13, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:35 LOCATION: HAMMANA, Lebanon CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the festival 2. various of visitors STORYLINE: Tens of thousands of people from all across Lebanon flocked on Sunday to Hammana, a scenic town about 30 kilometers away from the country's capital city Beirut, to taste the sweetness of cherries. The Hammana cherry festival gathered more than 200 exhibitors and sellers of cherries and cherry-inspired goods. The event featured cherry picking and tasting activities, food stalls, a music parade, a sports car show, local product souks, and a calisthenics show, among others. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hammana, Lebanon. (XHTV)

Lebanese ancient city Bylos bathed in festive atmosphere

STORY: Lebanese ancient city Bylos bathed in festive atmosphere DATELINE: Dec. 21, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: BYBLOS, Lebanon CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of remains of the ancient city 2. various of the Crusade Castle 3. various of the remains 4. various of the traditional Lebanese house 5. various of the old harbor 6. various of old souks and restaurants 7. various of the Christmas tree 8. various of the Christmas market STORYLINE: With the Christmas holiday around the corner, the festive atmosphere across Lebanon is getting stronger. In Byblos, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, people will see festive attractions like giant Christmas tree, traditional Christmas bazaars with dazzling lights, tasty food, and cheerful ambiance. The local government hopes to take advantage of the holiday season to revitalize the old city's tourism amid the steep economic crisis in the country. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Byblos, Lebanon. (XHTV)

Syrians balk at buying "pricey" Eid al-Fitr sweets amid soaring prices

STORY: Syrians balk at buying "pricey" Eid al-Fitr sweets amid soaring prices DATELINE: April 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:28 LOCATION: Damascus CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the sweets shops in Damascus 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MISBAH KANDAH, Sweets maker 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ALI IBRAHIM, Sweets maker STORYLINE: Due to the soaring prices of everything, much fewer customers seem to be willing to squeeze money to buy traditional sweets of the Eid al-Fitr feast. Previously, when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would come to an end, the popular marketplaces such as in Midan, or Bab Srijeh among other ancient souks in Damascus, would be thronged by hundreds of people rushing to buy the sweets of Eid. This is an old tradition as Muslim celebrate the end of the fasting month with a lot of local sweets. During the crisis, the purchasing power of the people decreased but the tradition remained alive. This year, however, the economic situation has become excruciating as a result of the prolonged crisis