Damascene Perversion: Syria's Underwear Sellers Peddle Sex and Seduction
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Maid's costumes, musicial negligee and remote-controlled underpants: You'd be surprised what you can find in a Damascus market. Syrian underwear is now so famous that it is exported throughout the Middle East -- and Palestinian women, reportedly, have the wildest taste.

Syrian underwear has become famous throughout the Middle East for its audacity. "Ever since people started going to Internet cafes and seeing what the rest of the world is wearing, demand has completely changed," says underwear merchant Abdullah Hayek. Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
It's the "latest thing," Abdullah Hayek says, holding the garment up. It's an almost non-existent bra and thong, which consists of strings and a tiny triangle. It's made, not of fabric, but of sugar fondant, which has been rolled out until it is wafer-thin, held together with elastic cords.

"This allows the husband to nibble the underwear off of his wife's body," explains Hayek. The garment, which costs the equivalent of about €3 ($3.9), is available in a selection of flavors, including pineapple, apple, honey, chocolate and mango. "I probably sell 15 of them a day," said Hayek.

The Hamidiyeh souk in Damascus is without doubt one of the best markets in the Arab world. Naturally you can find carpets, inlaid crafts and Oriental kitsch being hawked to tourists within the maze of alleyways. But the majority of customers are Syrian. They push through the souk by the thousands, buying washing powder in one alley and dishes in another -- and, at the intersection where the lingerie merchants sit, they buy sexy underwear. >>> By Ulrike Putz in Damascus | Friday, April 17, 2009