WHAT with Dubya and his gang accusing the Syrians of sponsoring terrorism and other bad things Damascus has not enjoyed very good press. That may be inevitable since this country is situated in the middle of one of the trickiest, most conflictive regions in the world and Syria has to play its complicated games along with the best of them.

Forget the intrigues and the politics! In all my years of travel I have rarely come across friendlier, more accommodating people than the Damascene and thanks to geopolitics the place is not over-run by tourists. In any case the majority of the tourists coming to Syria are more of the cultural sort - or they come up from the Arabian Gulf countries for a change of scenery without having to speak another language.

On arrival, in spite of a sweltering heat even passport and visa formalities were handled by officials with an occasional smile. And to my relief customs didn't want to look at my metal box with camera gear.

At times hitting over eighty miles-per-hour on multilane busy roads an air-conditioned car whooshed me through the night to the Hotel Sheraton.

Impressed but somewhat rattled I sent my bags to the room and headed straight for the bar for a very cold beer to calm my nerves and quench what was by now a serious thirst.

The Sheraton hadn't really been my choice since I wanted to feel I was in Damascus, not in this American chain hotel which had been booked for me with the best of intentions. As it turned out it was a good choice. The Sheraton was by now thirty years old the head barman told me, and a great number of the staff, himself included, had been there since the beginning. This always says a lot for any hotel. By now the Sheraton had become elegant Damascus, a favorite hang-out for many locals with reasonably well-filled pockets.

My main reason for being here was really an assignment about Bassam Ghraoui who may well be the world's finest chocolatier but that will be another story. Let me just explain before you ask "Chocolate? Damascus? Summer?" - that in order to make chocolates in the intense Damascus summer heat ALL facilities are air-conditioned.

Chocolates aside, I only had one afternoon and evening free to wander in Damascus, mostly in the old historical part of town.

These few hours to me represented a treasure, a bombardment, of impressions. It was like entering another world entirely; one of intense colors sounds and smells. If I were a painter I would spend years working here. As a photographer with little time to spare I knew that one day soon I would have to return here to attempt to do this ancient city justice.

The narrow streets and lanes were crowded with people who emerged at dusk as the intense heat of the day eased.

Dressed in as many fashions as there were people, some women, probably Christian, were dressed in a surprisingly provocative fashion and Muslim women varied their clothing from European style to well covered and veiled which may also be done with style.

People apparently mixed happily and a good feeling reigned which is quite remarkable as they represented what could be an explosive mixture of Sunni, Shiite and Alawite Muslims as well as Orthodox and other Christian communities, Kurds, Circassians and Turks.

Additionally, thanks to Bush's Iraq war, tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees strain the facilities of already crowded Damascus with its population of six million.

Taking photos in Middle Eastern cities and markets can be dodgy and one may be told off for taking something that "doesn't look nice", of people or something of religious significance.

Here in old Damascus people didn't seem to care, paid no attention and often appeared pleased. The photographic approach of course always has to be respectful and considerate.

The reason why the old city produces such intense impressions, visual and otherwise, isn't hard to understand. Damascus is one of the cornerstones of the world's civilizations and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.

Here are multiple Roman ruins that have been rebuilt several times and the huge Umayyad Mosque which is one of the glories of Islamic architecture.

This was the home of the immensely powerful seventh-century Arab empire of the Umayyad who extended their control all over the Middle East.

On another level the narrow old streets are full of fascinating shops bursting with the goodies that are the famous Syrian handicrafts; pearl-inlaid woodwork, silk and other textiles, jewellery, silver, gold and fine copper metalwork.

Much appreciated by tourists are also the Oriental rugs and carpets. An art dealer or two amazed me with their colorful displays of Syrian art like paintings and old photographs.

On yet another level many of the ancient homes in the old city have been transformed into fine little restaurants serving Middle Eastern cuisine at a very reasonable price; mezze, hummus and tabbouleh; sausages and kebabs and other delicacies.

Re-reading what I've just written it once again becomes intensely obvious to me that Damascus is one of the world's great places to visit. And revisit.

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Important or just good to know:

Visas

Most foreigners need a visa, available at consulates or in some cases on arrival. If there is evidence of a visit to Israel in your passport, you won't be allowed in.

Also, it may be best to avoid the very hot summer months although I certainly immensely enjoyed my visit this July. A variety of hotels are available and there are some new boutique hotels as well.

Tor Eigeland can be contacted at tor.eigelandwanadoo.fr