What Life Is Actually Like in Damascus Today | Keep The Meter Running
Kareem Rahma
1,354,532 views
TIP OUR DRIVERS! https://linktr.ee/ktmrshow
TAKE ME TO YOUR FAVORITE SPOT AND KEEP THE METER RUNNING! Kareem lands in Damascus, Syria and meets Bashar, a cab driver and tour guide whose love for his city runs deep. What begins as a simple ride for coffee quickly turns into two days exploring Damascus through Bashar’s eyes, from the winding streets of the Old City to the places, people, and memories that have shaped his life.
Along the way, Bashar takes Kareem to a nameless breakfast spot, introduces him to some of his favorite Syrian foods, walks him through ancient streets and historic landmarks, and brings him inside the centuries-old Umayyad Mosque. Between meals and history lessons, Bashar opens up about leaving Syria for Dubai, returning home during the war to be with his family, losing his mother, and watching the city he loves endure years of destruction.
Eventually, Bashar takes Kareem somewhere much more personal: the neighborhood where he grew up and the ruins of his childhood home. Surrounded by buildings destroyed during the war, Bashar reflects on everything Damascus has lost and why he still believes life will find a way to return. What starts as a tour of Syria becomes a story about memory, resilience, love for home, and the complicated relationship we have with the places that make us who we are.
But the day is not all heavy. Kareem and Bashar eat their way through Damascus, argue about FedEx and UPS, bond over Hollywood movies, joke about Julia Roberts, visit a generations-old ice cream shop, and slowly become genuine friends. By the end of their two days together, Kareem realizes that Bashar hasn’t just shown him Damascus. He’s shown him the Syria he wants the rest of the world to see.
Keep The Meter Running is a YouTube series created and hosted by Kareem Rahma. In each episode, Kareem asks a driver to take him to their favorite place and keeps the meter running the whole time.
Created by Kareem Rahma
Executive Producers: Adam Faze & Kareem Rahma
Produced by Katy Scholes
Creative Producer: Tyler Christie
Written by: Kareem Rahma & Tyler Christie
Director of Photography: Michael Lopez
Camera Operator: Daniel Bateman
Local Producer: Eyad Nemar
Edited by Tyler Christie
Post Producer: Dave Drusky
Assistant Editor: Nick Cancelliere, Abigail McNeely
Online Editor: Nick Cancelliere
Colorist: Alexia Salingaros
Associate Producer: Jack Fidler, Nasser Ftyeeh, Abd Alkarem Haded
Casting Director: Harleigh Shaw
Casting Associate: Eyad Nemar
Production Sound Mixer: Mohammad Damlakhi
Security Advisor: Daniela McKay
Re-Recording Mix by Dean White
Arabic Translation and Syria Consultant: Fatimah Alhawary
Creative Direction by Everyone
Lead Designer: Ted Childish
Title Sequence & Graphic Design by Emily Chin-Longobardi
Custom Typography by Amy Leung
Additional Graphics by Martin Uhrecky
Intro Illustrations: Rama Duwaji
Map Animation: Sabih Mahmood
Map Illustrations: Ian Gaadt
Map Motion Designer: Maksymilian Ojster
B-Roll DP: Conner Schuurmans
B-Roll Producer: Jordan Alexander
Executive Assistant: Madyson Hearsh
PA: Ramy Shafi
Presented by AND Media
Executive Producers: Kareem Rahma, Adam Faze, Aisha Shah, Christian Tom, Landon Morgado
Made possible by:
Doris Duke Foundation
Air
0:00 Meet Bashar in Damascus
3:05 Coffee & Memories
5:36 Exploring Damascus
10:40 Entering the Old City
14:24 The Nameless Breakfast Spot
19:55 A 1,300-Year-Old Mosque
24:43 A Syrian Feast
27:23 Basketball in Damascus
30:07 Day 2 in Damascus
33:39 The House of Saint Ananias
34:20 Faith After War
36:02 Bashar’s Childhood Neighborhood
39:03 The Ruins of His Childhood Home
40:27 The Best Shawarma in Damascus
41:53 Mount Qasioun
45:35 135-Year-Old Ice Cream
50:10 Saying Goodbye
53:24 The Final Fare
20 Comments
You made me laugh, cry, and do both at the same time.
I can’t put my finger on why this video touched me so deeply. There was no single extraordinary event that took place nor there was any over the top incidents that would make it stand out. Hell, even Bashar told you he didn’t take you to all the places you could visit in Damascus which is true lol. This wasn’t a checklist, but rather a stroll down the streets with a friend, and maybe that’s why it was so special. It was genuine, heartfelt, and down to earth, and told a story without any external noise or preconceived ideas.
I’ve been away from Syria for 13 years. I miss it so much and planning on visiting as soon as I can. You offered me a piece of home that no other piece of media could.
Thank you, Bashar and Eyad. Hope to see back in Syria.
What Life Is Actually Like in Damascus Today | Keep The Meter Running
Kareem Rahma
1,354,532 views
TIP OUR DRIVERS! https://linktr.ee/ktmrshow
TAKE ME TO YOUR FAVORITE SPOT AND KEEP THE METER RUNNING! Kareem lands in Damascus, Syria and meets Bashar, a cab driver and tour guide whose love for his city runs deep. What begins as a simple ride for coffee quickly turns into two days exploring Damascus through Bashar’s eyes, from the winding streets of the Old City to the places, people, and memories that have shaped his life.
Along the way, Bashar takes Kareem to a nameless breakfast spot, introduces him to some of his favorite Syrian foods, walks him through ancient streets and historic landmarks, and brings him inside the centuries-old Umayyad Mosque. Between meals and history lessons, Bashar opens up about leaving Syria for Dubai, returning home during the war to be with his family, losing his mother, and watching the city he loves endure years of destruction.
Eventually, Bashar takes Kareem somewhere much more personal: the neighborhood where he grew up and the ruins of his childhood home. Surrounded by buildings destroyed during the war, Bashar reflects on everything Damascus has lost and why he still believes life will find a way to return. What starts as a tour of Syria becomes a story about memory, resilience, love for home, and the complicated relationship we have with the places that make us who we are.
But the day is not all heavy. Kareem and Bashar eat their way through Damascus, argue about FedEx and UPS, bond over Hollywood movies, joke about Julia Roberts, visit a generations-old ice cream shop, and slowly become genuine friends. By the end of their two days together, Kareem realizes that Bashar hasn’t just shown him Damascus. He’s shown him the Syria he wants the rest of the world to see.
Keep The Meter Running is a YouTube series created and hosted by Kareem Rahma. In each episode, Kareem asks a driver to take him to their favorite place and keeps the meter running the whole time.
Created by Kareem Rahma
Executive Producers: Adam Faze & Kareem Rahma
Produced by Katy Scholes
Creative Producer: Tyler Christie
Written by: Kareem Rahma & Tyler Christie
Director of Photography: Michael Lopez
Camera Operator: Daniel Bateman
Local Producer: Eyad Nemar
Edited by Tyler Christie
Post Producer: Dave Drusky
Assistant Editor: Nick Cancelliere, Abigail McNeely
Online Editor: Nick Cancelliere
Colorist: Alexia Salingaros
Associate Producer: Jack Fidler, Nasser Ftyeeh, Abd Alkarem Haded
Casting Director: Harleigh Shaw
Casting Associate: Eyad Nemar
Production Sound Mixer: Mohammad Damlakhi
Security Advisor: Daniela McKay
Re-Recording Mix by Dean White
Arabic Translation and Syria Consultant: Fatimah Alhawary
Creative Direction by Everyone
Lead Designer: Ted Childish
Title Sequence & Graphic Design by Emily Chin-Longobardi
Custom Typography by Amy Leung
Additional Graphics by Martin Uhrecky
Intro Illustrations: Rama Duwaji
Map Animation: Sabih Mahmood
Map Illustrations: Ian Gaadt
Map Motion Designer: Maksymilian Ojster
B-Roll DP: Conner Schuurmans
B-Roll Producer: Jordan Alexander
Executive Assistant: Madyson Hearsh
PA: Ramy Shafi
Presented by AND Media
Executive Producers: Kareem Rahma, Adam Faze, Aisha Shah, Christian Tom, Landon Morgado
Made possible by:
Doris Duke Foundation
Air
0:00 Meet Bashar in Damascus
3:05 Coffee & Memories
5:36 Exploring Damascus
10:40 Entering the Old City
14:24 The Nameless Breakfast Spot
19:55 A 1,300-Year-Old Mosque
24:43 A Syrian Feast
27:23 Basketball in Damascus
30:07 Day 2 in Damascus
33:39 The House of Saint Ananias
34:20 Faith After War
36:02 Bashar’s Childhood Neighborhood
39:03 The Ruins of His Childhood Home
40:27 The Best Shawarma in Damascus
41:53 Mount Qasioun
45:35 135-Year-Old Ice Cream
50:10 Saying Goodbye
53:24 The Final Fare
and thank you Kareem and eyad for making such a beautiful video to watch❤