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The Syria–Turkey crossing that almost didn’t happen
That crossing is only open to Syrians heading into Türkiye, or Turks heading into Syria. When I got there the gate was locked and no one was in sight — I stood waving at the camera for fifteen minutes before anyone noticed. In my dusty backpacking clothes, the guards assumed I was Syrian. It wasn’t until I held my passport up to the camera, crescent and star showing, that the gate finally opened. My bag got searched, and I waited another hour or two for the stamp. Not the crossing I planned — the most memorable one yet.
