Sharing a steam room with the First Lady of Syria

As I walked in and out of the rooms of the Azem Palace in the old city, I noticed that a crowd had gathered near the main entrance. Soon a striking young woman entered the courtyard, flanked by dozens of security guards, minders, photographers, TV crews and adoring onlookers. Assuming she was a film star, I asked a guard and was told “She is President’s family” and another chimed in that it was his wife.

I decided to continue exploring to see what I could before the entourage took over the place and I was kicked out. I ended up in the old royal baths with the steam, hot, warm and cold rooms, which has two entrances/exits. Either the security forgot me or didn’t bother, but when I emerged from the far entrance into the steam room, I found myself face to face with the First Lady herself, with her posse of sultry female attendants and beefy security dudes. I collected myself and asked how she was and the cheerful reply was delivered with the most royal and clipped English accent I have ever heard.

Later I found out she is London educated, where she met her ophthalmologist husband and in agreeing to marry him gave up a promising professional career. Her husband came to power, apparently reluctantly, after his long entrenched father died and then his older brother was killed in a mysterious car accident that has never been fully investigated. Outside I cursed myself for not asking her for a photo so snapped a rushed one from afar.