July 29, 1326 Over the border and into Syria

Sorry I haven’t been posting on my blog for almost a year now! I’ve been so busy with traveling but don’t worry I’m back. Here, the customs-dues are collected at the station of Qatya (Document G). Also, the merchants baggage and goods are thoroughly inspected by the officers (Document G). The many offices here have officials doing their many jobs overseeing the thousand gold dinars that are collected here every day (Document G). I noticed that passing through to Syria and Egypt require a passport if you go to either country as a precaution against spies from Iraq (Document G). Guarding the road has great responsibility (Document G). The one left with the honor of having that is Badawin (Document G). Smoothing the sand out when the sun goes down is a necessity so that nobody can track us. When the governor comes to look at the sand, if there are any footprints left then he makes that Arabs bring the person who made it (Document G). They go on to find that person and they have not failed yet (Document G). I am very glad that Badawin has that job and I do not because I would not want to be the one being caught. When the people catch the one who did not erase the marks in the sand, he  is brought to the governor who gives them a punishment which he thinks does the crime right (Document G). At that time, the governor let the people whom I was with along with myself pass easily(Document G). He was a very kind man. We then went to Gaza, the first city of Syria which is next to the Egyptian frontier (Document G).