Don't Ask Where the Scenery Went

By Janice Castro

In an ad in the New York Times last week, Syrian President HAFEZ ASSAD courted American investors and tourists, touting his country as "a land of castles, citadels and colonnades." Trouble is, some of the locals have grisly tales to tell. Most notable is the story of the ancient city of Hama, whose spectacular ancient waterwheels are pictured in the ad. Just nine years ago, Assad quashed dissent in the town. His army slaughtered as many as 25,000 townspeople and razed most of the picturesque old quarter Assad urges the world to visit.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart