Hiking group 'Me the Syrian' explores newly accessible regions of Syria

After Syria's nearly 14-year civil war ended a year ago when rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad, an outdoor group called “Me the Syrian” has begun hiking to areas that were long off limits, including a trek to the sixth-century monastery of Deir Mar Musa about 50 miles north of Damascus.

Members of the group, including 24-year-old artisan Areej Miro, who said she had visited only three of Syria’s 14 provinces by the time the conflict ended, have been traveling across rugged desert landscapes in bright red shirts. The group’s founder, Khaled Nwilati, 55, who started the adventure outings in the late 1980s, said they organize trips “based on the seasons and the political climate.” Their Damascus office contains remnants of war the hikers have found over the past year, including bullet casings, an ammunition box and pieces of mortar shells.

Dangers persist: parts of Syria remain off limits because of ethnic or sectarian tensions or Israeli attacks and seizure of territory, and fighters from Islamic State still have cells in the country, which the article says last month killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian American interpreter.

Group members also spoke of ubiquitous land‑mine risks and of attacks by “regime remnants,” which Syrian authorities suspect in a recent spate of incidents. Despite those risks, the hikers said they are driven by a desire to know their homeland.

Key Topics

World, Deir Mar Musa, Damascus, Areej Miro, Khaled Nwilati, Islamic State