SALAMIEH

Head of the region 50 km from Sheikh Hilal. It hosts Syria's largest ismaili community. The practitioners of this minority current of Shia Islam are regarded as Liberals; they consume alcohol, do Ramadan and women are not veiled. Moreover, they are content with two calls for prayer per day and mosques do not contain minarets. The city is particularly important for ismaili as it welcomes the grave of the father of Aga Khan, the current spiritual leader of ismaili and Syria's ismaili centre. Regularly Pakistani or Indian tourists, mostly ismaili, stop Salamieh to visit these places.