Jordanians celebrate reopening of Syrian border crossing with bargain-hunting shopping sprees
Near the recently reopened border with Jordan, former Syrian rebel fighter Bahaa Al Masri sells date-filled pastries and sesame biscuits to Jordanians flocking across the frontier to snap up bargains.
Syrian regime forces retook control of the Nassib border crossing from rebels in July, and last month reopened it after a three-year closure.
A few hundred metres from the frontier, Mr Al Masri, 26, counts the boxes of biscuits he still has left in a green plastic crate strapped to the back of his motorbike.
“For two weeks I have been bringing sweets from Damascus and selling them to Jordanians who come to buy them here because they’re cheaper,” the former combatant said.
Mr Al Masri hawks the pastries every day in a rest area on the edge of Syria’s southern province of Deraa for three Jordanian dinars (Dh15.50) each.
“Thank God, when the border opened there was work again here after I spent about six years without a job,” Mr Al Masri said.
Because money was tight, he joined a rebel group that paid him a monthly wage to fight.
“I picked up arms so we could eat and live,” he said.
Deraa was once seen as the cradle of Syria’s seven-year uprising, but in July regime forces took back control through a military push and deals under which rebels surrendered.
Under those agreements, many fighters chose to leave with their families to remaining opposition areas in northern Syria.
But Mr Al Masri opted to stay and settled his status officially with the returning government authorities, a move likely to result in him being called up for military service.
Until the summons comes from the army, he is happy taking advantage of the moneymaking opportunities on offer now the border is open.
Also looking to cash in are Jordanian drivers who ferry goods from Syria across the frontier for a small commission. A whole economy has sprung up since the border was reopened.
At the crossing, cars sat side by side in long queues waiting to cross into Syria. Large lorries also waited their turn.
Before the war, “we used to come over to Syria every day – sometimes just to have breakfast”, said Mohammed Sayes, 25, a specialist in tourism management from Jordan’s adjacent border town of Ramtha.
It was his second such trip since the border reopened “to see the sights, go out and eat” cheaply, he said. “Yes, Syria lived through a war, but we suffered a siege. When the border reopened, it was like paradise opened up again.”
Farther up, dozens of people stood in line outside a row of small prefabricated buildings to have their Jordanian passports stamped by Syrian officials.
Jordanian driver Muflah Al Hurani, 53, was crossing the border to drive a family back home from the Syrian capital Damascus, about 100 kilometres to the north.
He has been going in and out of Syria on an almost daily basis since Nassib reopened, to transport passengers or do shopping for relatives.
“I bring back fruit and vegetables including potatoes, onions, garlic, as well as children’s clothes made of cotton,” he said.
“And I fill up my car with fuel – it’s less than half the price in Syria, despite the war.”
Not far away, the former arrivals hall is being repaired after it was damaged in the war.
Workers carry away rubble and a rebel slogan is still visible. Damascus hopes the reopening of Nassib will boost its war-ravaged economy.
Before the conflict, the crossing was an important passage for trade, linking Syria – but also Lebanon and Turkey – with Jordan and the Gulf beyond.
Syrian officials have registered more than 33,000 arrivals since October 15, against 29,000 departures.
Among those waiting to head across the border are Syrians returning home, car roofs piled high with suitcases and blankets.
Last week, a Jordanian official said 6,000 Syrians had returned to their country, among them 517 registered refugees.
A Syrian woman living in Jordan smiled as she waited to cross over with her family for a two-week visit.
“Damascus is a blessing. That’s why everybody wants to visit after being cut off for so long,” she said.
Syria lived through a war, but we suffered a siege. When the border reopened, it was like paradise opened up again Jordanian border town resident MOHAMMED SAYES