Young people seated at Floyd, one of Damascus's trendy bars, Friday, March 11. (Credit: Amélie Zaccour/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Leaning on the counter at the bar, Floyd, Ahmad* chains together cigarettes and shots of vodka. Near the walls lined with records and pink neon lights, he watches the small crowd of young people who, like him, are out to enjoy Friday night. No one here seems to care about the decree passed on March 16 by the Damascus governorate, which bans the sale of alcohol in bars, restaurants and cafés in the capital within three months.Liquor and nightclub licenses must be converted into café licenses. Only sealed bottles will be allowed to be sold in shops in Bab Touma, Bab Sharqi and Kassa'a, three majority-Christian districts, for home consumption. "Even if the measure is enforced, we'll find other ways to drink outside, there will be clandestine pubs," predicts the 22-year-old from Damascus. Zoom out Sharaa says working to...
Leaning on the counter at the bar, Floyd, Ahmad* chains together cigarettes and shots of vodka. Near the walls lined with records and pink neon lights, he watches the small crowd of young people who, like him, are out to enjoy Friday night. No one here seems to care about the decree passed on March 16 by the Damascus governorate, which bans the sale of alcohol in bars, restaurants and cafés in the capital within three months.Liquor and nightclub licenses must be converted into café licenses. Only sealed bottles will be allowed to be sold in shops in Bab Touma, Bab Sharqi and Kassa'a, three majority-Christian districts, for home consumption. "Even if the measure is enforced, we'll find other ways to drink outside, there will be clandestine pubs," predicts the 22-year-old from Damascus. Zoom out Sharaa says working...
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I believe that liberty comes first, before religion.
24 March 2026 00:45