Scenes from Damascus, Syria

A veiled woman walks down the street in Damascus's old city. (J. Weeks/VOA)

As fighting continues in and around the city, shops remain open and life appears surprisingly normal. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A vegetable vendor does brisk business in Damascus. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A child peers out of a micro bus window into traffic. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A poster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad hangs in the rear window of a bus in Damascus. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A man crosses a busy street in Damascus. Though some streets are closed to traffic due to safety concerns, most of the roads remain open. (J. Weeks/VOA)

Business appears normal in Damascus's old city. (J. Weeks/VOA)

Mount Sinabung volcano spews ash as seen from Kuta Tengah village in Karo district, Indonesia, Jan. 14, 2014.

Gray smoke rises over a neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus, where fighting between government forces and rebels continues. Residents are learning to live with the sounds of distant explosions and gunfire. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A cobbler busy at work. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A man waits on the side of the street in a Damascus market with boxes full of goods. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A woman from Aleppo now lives in a government-run refugee center in a Damascus suburb. The center is now home to many refugees, many of whom are ethnic Turkmens. (J. Weeks/VOA)

A newlywed couple celebrates at an upscale Damascus hotel. (J. Weeks/VOA)