Syria Fest Hits Washington Streets

Khaled Moulawi, previously a member of the Damascus Arts Association, dances an ancient whirling dervish dance at the Syria Fest on Freedom Plaza in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Syrian artist Etab Hreib works on a live mural and calligraphy demonstration in the Syria Fest cultural tent in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Vendors line up along Pennsylvania Avenue, while the cultural tent and stage were set up on Freedom Plaza for Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

The Arabic qanun, a Middle Eastern string instrument resembling the western zither, is played by artist Huda Asfour during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

One vendor at Syria Fest, a Turkish grocery store called Amity Market, offers a variety of sweets and savory dishes from Turkey and Syria, in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Handmade Syrian crafts are sold by Syriana, a D.C.-based store that ships merchandise from the handicraft markets in Damascus, during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

A man carries the Syrian opposition flag during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Volunteer Mostafa Hashoun is joined by other participants in a Syrian folk dance called dabke, during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. The dance is a mixture of circle and line dancing, and is usually performed at weddings and other joyous occasio

A vendor at Syria Fest offers henna tattoos, a type of body art that came from Southeast Asia, in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Tight-Knit for Syria, a Toronto-based nonprofit, sells hand-crocheted clutches made by Syrian women in refugee camps in Lebanon, during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Cooks from the Middle Eastern restaurant Bawadi Mediterranean Grill and Cafe prepare falafel sandwiches for hungry festivalgoers in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Syrian singer and songwriter Nano Raies, accompanied by her band, performs a number of traditional Syrian folk songs during Syria Fest in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Syria Fest volunteers pose in pop-up photo booth in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. The booth featured cards to help teach participants the Syrian dialect. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)

Renowned Syrian-American hip-hop artist Omar Offendum performs his latest single, inspired by the great Syrian poetry of Nizar Qabbani, in Washington, Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Rabah Seba)