An Example of Middle Eastern Hospitality
Friedel Rother, an ex-journalist has been riding a bicycle around the world with her husband. She shares an account of the hospitality she faced in the middle east which serves as an encouragement for us to show hospitality to sojourners and in general. Her blog is here.
If there is one thing you can count on in the Middle East, it is that you do not need to seek out hospitality. It will find you. Standing on a street corner in Iran, looking confused or lost, is impossible to do for more than a minute before a helper will arrive and declare themselves to be at your service. In Syria, we ruled out accepting tea more than twice a day. Otherwise we would never have made it beyond the border post. Invitations flow freely from the smallest village to the biggest city.
The key to enjoying this warm welcome is simply to be brave enough to accept the offers that will come your way. Most of us were taught to beware of strangers, and suspicions are quickly raised when someone appears out of nowhere with an offer that seems too good to be true.
“Is this for real?” you will wonder as the man you asked for directions jumps in a cab with you and insists on paying the fare to the train station. It is so far removed from reality in many countries that it's almost unbelievable you will not be the victim of some scam. We cannot promise it will not happen, but in the hundreds of instances that we have accepted the help of others, we have never been disappointed.
“Why are you doing this?” we asked Talal as he arrived at our Damascus hotel to take us on a city tour and out for dinner. “It is my duty. You are a guest in my country,” was the reply. It was a commonly repeated response when we put the same query to others. “Travelers are a gift from God,” answered one young man.
I reckon this attitude would significantly alter the lives of people we meet, and our own.
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