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Syria has been at war for nearly four years. The most recognizable images of the country today depict bombed-out buildings, piles of rubble, and displaced citizens.
A collection of images taken fifty years earlier by Charles W. Cushman, an avid traveler and amateur photographer, are a stark contrast.
Though Syria saw a number of coups d'etat in the 1960s and in the decades before and after, Cushman's photos of downtown Damascus in 1965 paint a more mundane picture, showing families gathering, men riding donkeys, and shoppers in bustling bazaars.
These photos are being shared with permission from the Indiana University Archives.
Two years before Cushman visited Damascus, Syria's government was overthrown in a coup d'etat.
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The military then overthrew the ruling Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 1966, the year after Cushman's visit.
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But these photos show a more mundane side of the country, giving a rare glimpse into everyday life in the capital.
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