July 14th saw the Damascus Citadel sparkle to life with the unforgettably nostalgic voices and songs of the French Guard saluting their Ambassador and hailing their most ancient independence.

Multitudes of people swarmed the inner courtyard to be greeted by an array of dance performances and a fusion of cuisine, attracting the youngest to free hotdog and candyfloss stands while offering opportunities to win VIP trips to boutique destinations in return for small stage acts and quizzes.

Throughout the hustle and bustle there was a sense of the historic interweaving of two cultures, proud Syrians and proud Frenchmen celebrating side-by-side.

Syrian's young singer Anas Fakhry performed while a Syrian acrobat was show-piecing his Cirque-du-Soleil styled moves added to the complimenting attitudes which have become second nature to the young generation.
Bastille Day is the French national holiday which is celebrated on July 14th each year.

In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration).
It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14th July, 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

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