In the Suq, they sell, make, or fix anything. It’s a good place to sit and talk in almost any language. One Arab rug merchant explained to me in Spanish that a man who speaks only one language is only worth one man, but a man who speaks two languages is worth ten men. However, he said a man who speaks three languages is as valuable as a whole platoon, and a man who speaks five languages is better than a whole army.

Location: The Suq, Damascus, Syria.