At the age of thirty-seven Heather Burles left her job as a computer programmer and bought a one-way ticket to Syria. In Smouldering Incense, Hammered Brass, Burles describes her experiences travelling the countryside, renting a small house in Damascus, learning to speak Arabic, meeting people, and avoiding trouble. Burles becomes an honoured guest at a Bedouin feast, the victim of a deliberate "accident" orchestrated by a police officer, and she spends an afternoon with a mukhabarat (the dreaded secret police). Struggling with the Arabic language and other adventures, Burles experiences countless moments of joyous wonder at the generosity and hospitality of the Syrian people. As a woman travelling alone, she has acess to women's lives and is often invited into their homes. In describing these encounters, she does not romanticize the people she meets, but reflects unflinchingly on their lives and her own. Smouldering Incense, Hammered Brass is written with clarity and grace. With an eye for small detail, Burles brings to life an often-demonized part of the Middle East rarely seen by the western media.
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