This photo was taken in Damascus in 1899. The man in the photo is Samir, a Christian who couldn’t walk. The person carrying him on his back is Muhammad, a Muslim who was blind.
Muhammad relied on Samir to guide him, and Samir used Muhammad’s back to help him move around the city. They were both orphans and lived together in the same room.
Samir was a hakawati, a storyteller. He told stories from One Thousand and One Nights to the people at a cafe in Damascus. Muhammad sold sweets in front of the same cafe and loved to listen to his friend’s stories.
One day, when Muhammad returned to their room, he found Samir dead. He cried and mourned for seven days. When asked how they got along so well despite being from different religions, Muhammad simply said:
"Here we were the same," as he pointed to his heart.
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