Travel Guide Al-Qardaha

The village where the current President of the Syrian Arab Republic was born has changed profoundly in recent years.Imposing mosque, where the portrait of a saint, large estate, luxurious residences, bunkers, large luxury hotel and, to complete it all, an international airport (Bassel al-Asad) at the junction of Lattakia road, and a veritable triumphal path connecting the airport to the village. There is little interest in this hilly and fertile landscape, where the President's figure dominates.The main interest of a trip here is the visit of the mausoleum built after the death of Hafiz al-Asad in December 2000. During the funeral, on the road between Lattakia and Qardaha, place of passage of the procession, each tree, each door, each wall was painted in black, as a last reverence. To access the mausoleum, turn right at the main roundabout. Come to the centre of the village, continue straight away.The key word if you lose is ra (chair). There is an atmosphere of contemplation, accentuated by the presence of black guards wearing ties of the Assad family. The presence of foreigners does not intrigued them, they even offer the coffee. The architecture of the white mausoleum is majestic but rather sober.The Saudi fashion tomb (green fabric that covers the grave) of the former president in the middle, that of his son to the left of the entrance. Incense smells invade space. An extensive place made even more solemn by the marble cover on the ground.